Funding

(1) In March 2016, South Korea announced that it will invest $863 million in AI research over the next five years. The funding includes money for the founding of a high-profile, public–private research centre with participation from several Korean conglomerates, including Samsung, LG Electronics and Hyundai Motor, as well as the technology firm Naver, based near Seoul. South Korea already funds two high-profile AI projects: Exobrain, which is intended to compete with IBM’s Watson computer, and Deep View, a computer vision project. The combined 80 billion South Korean Won had already been allocated to these projects over the next five years is included in the 1 trillion South Korean Won figure.

(2) In May 2018, The South Korean Government decided to invest 2.2 trillion South Korean Won by 2022 for AI research. The artificial intelligence R&D strategy was established by Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Information and Communication. The government also plans to establish six graduate schools of AI by 2022 with the goal of cultivating 1370 AI manpower by 2022. Along with this, South Korea plans to train 350 leading researchers. Information and Communication Technology Promotion Center, a government-affiliated organization expects the number of artificial intelligence scholars and doctorates to reach 4,500 by 2020.

(3) The Ministry of Information and Communication announced that it plans to carry out a large-scale public special project for AI technology. A budget of 1 trillion won will be invested in the development of AI semiconductor by 2029. AI semiconductor is a field that has recently attracted attention, and Intel and Nvidia are leading the way in technology development. Memory semiconductors are used in household appliances such as automobiles and refrigerators. In order to secure the infrastructure for it, government plans to operate the AI brainwrap around the local base universities. By creating five AI research centers in each region, AI technologies will be linked with robots, bio, machinery and automobiles.