Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, who doubles as deputy prime minister for science affairs, speaks during a meeting of science and technology-related ministers at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, 28 January 2026. File. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
March 3 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT said Tuesday it has begun distributing graphics processing units to industry, academia and research institutions as part of a government push to expand domestic artificial intelligence capacity.
The ministry said it will supply about 4,000 GPUs starting this month from a pool of 10,000 units secured through last year’s supplementary budget. It selected recipients for the first batch and said the GPUs will be used to support 159 projects.
Under the initial allocation, 2,624 GPUs will go to universities and other academic institutions, 1,288 to industry and 312 to research institutes, the ministry said.
A previous call for proposals drew 514 applications. The ministry said the selected projects will be deployed immediately for AI research and development, including services and model development, based on expert evaluations of factors such as expected technological impact, societal impact and contribution to the domestic AI ecosystem.
The ministry said it will conduct periodic monitoring after allocation. If improper use is found, it said the GPUs could be reclaimed and reassigned to other users.
The ministry also said it plans an additional call for proposals later this month, including 4,000 GPUs for industry users such as small and midsize companies and startups and about 1,000 more for academia and research institutions.
In future rounds, the ministry said it will give greater consideration to applicants based outside the capital area and seek to prevent allocations from concentrating on specific companies or institutions.
Choi Dong-won, the ministry’s director general for AI infrastructure policy, said the GPU program is intended to serve as a catalyst for strengthening AI capabilities and expanding AI services, creating additional demand for infrastructure in a self-reinforcing cycle.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260303010000523
