[Ministry of Science and ICT Report] Training 1,000 AI Professionals... Establishing a 300 Billion Won AI-Dedicated Fund

Diversification of AI Graduate Programs... Operation of SW-Centered Universities
1.0096 Trillion Won Budget Invested in Next-Generation Intelligent Semiconductor Development
Expansion of AI Venture Investment through AI-Dedicated Fund... Establishment of AI Integration Complex

Choi Ki-young, Minister of Science and ICT

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] The government is designating this year as the "first year of becoming a leading artificial intelligence (AI) nation" and is launching efforts to cultivate advanced AI talent. Starting with 1,000 advanced personnel this year, the strategy aims to train 10,000 professionals annually by 2030. To achieve this, the government will diversify AI graduate school programs and fully operate software (SW)-centered universities. It will also actively pursue the development of next-generation intelligent semiconductor technology, a core AI technology. Additionally, a 300 billion KRW AI-dedicated fund will be established, and 390 billion KRW will be invested to create an AI cluster in Gwangju.

◆ Cultivating 1,000 Advanced AI Professionals This Year = On the 16th, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced the "2020 Work Plan" containing these details. The ministry stated, "We are designating this year as the first year toward becoming a leading AI nation," adding, "We will nurture about 1,000 world-class AI and SW experts who will lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution and provide AI and SW education opportunities to the entire population."

First, to foster advanced AI talent, the government will diversify programs at 12 AI graduate schools and fully operate 40 SW-centered universities and Innovation Academies. In cooperation with the Ministry of Education, 150 AI and SW pilot schools for elementary and secondary education will be selected. Minister Choi Ki-young of the Ministry of Science and ICT said, "Compared to countries like the United States, Korea is significantly lacking in talent. We believe that a small elite group is very important, so we plan to cultivate advanced personnel first."

The government is working on expanding and reorganizing AI graduate school programs and expects to train about 500 people at AI graduate schools and 750 at Innovation Academies this year. The goal is to nurture about 10,000 AI talents annually by 2030. The most critical aspect of the AI field is human resources, and domestic AI talent has been pointed out as significantly insufficient compared to the US and China. According to a survey by the Korea Economic Research Institute under the Federation of Korean Industries, when the US AI talent competitiveness is rated as 10, Korea's is 5.2, China's is 8.1, and Japan's is 6. The domestic AI talent shortage rate averages 60.6%, meaning only 4 out of 10 required personnel are being fulfilled.

◆ 1.0096 Trillion KRW Invested in Intelligent Semiconductor Development = Starting this year through 2029, the government will invest 1.0096 trillion KRW to actively develop next-generation intelligent semiconductor technologies, a core AI technology, and promote research in next-generation AI fields such as new-concept AI semiconductors based on memory-centric computing that mimics brain structures. This is an implementation of the "AI National Strategy" announced in December last year. Intelligent semiconductors, which process large volumes of data at high speeds, are essential in fields such as autonomous vehicles, drones, the Internet of Things (IoT), and smart cities. According to market research firm Gartner, the global intelligent semiconductor market is expected to grow to 15.786 billion USD (about 18.8 trillion KRW) by 2022.

◆ Establishing a 300 Billion KRW AI-Dedicated Fund = Furthermore, a 300 billion KRW AI-dedicated fund will be established, and from this year through 2024, 393.9 billion KRW will be invested to create an AI cluster in Gwangju. The AI-dedicated fund will be used to invest in venture companies developing AI technologies. A Ministry of Science and ICT official explained, "The fund's operation will be autonomously decided by investment management companies."

The government plans to expand the use of big data, the fundamental base of AI, by advancing the big data platform and increasing the domestic data industry scale from the current 9 trillion KRW to 10 trillion KRW. Additionally, it will identify AI convergence projects that citizens can experience and promote "AI Plus X" to expand AI utilization across all economic and social sectors. AI Plus X means that when AI technology is developed, corresponding applications (apps) are necessarily required. Furthermore, this year, the government plans to establish AI ethical standards and build an AI-based cyber threat response system.