Seoul City Breaks Ground on 'AI Support Center' in Yangjae R&D Innovation District... Opening in 2023

Core Support Facility for AI Development, Education, and Collaboration
Additional Workspaces Secured for AI Startups and Research Institutes Growing Due to COVID-19, Comprehensive Incubating

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul announced on the 11th that it will open the 'AI Support Center' in 2023 at the Yangjae R&D Innovation District, which is being developed as an artificial intelligence (AI) industry hub in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution. Seoul completed the detailed design in March and will begin construction on the 14th.

The 'AI Support Center' will be built on the site of the former Quality Testing Office annex within the Yangjae R&D Innovation District, with a total floor area of 10,020㎡, spanning from one basement floor to seven above-ground floors. It will accommodate more than 500 residents, including startup employees and researchers.

The 'AI Support Center' is a core facility for nurturing AI startups and training specialized talent. It will gather key players leading the AI industry, from startups to research institutes and graduate schools. Comprehensive incubation for resident startups, AI education, and exchanges and collaborations between AI research institutes and companies in the Yangjae area will all take place in one location.

Resident companies will receive comprehensive support not only for space but also for technology commercialization, investment linkage, and market development including global markets. The goal is to create a space that can generate synergy with surrounding companies in the Yangjae area through collaborative research and sharing of industry trends.

Seoul successfully attracted Korea’s first AI graduate school, the ‘KAIST AI Graduate School,’ last year. It is the first educational institution to be established in the Yangjae R&D Innovation District. The aim is to develop Yangjae into an innovative industrial hub like Silicon Valley, nurture global talent to lead the domestic AI industry, and create synergy through industry-academia-government cooperation.

Seoul signed a business agreement with KAIST in December 2020 to attract the KAIST AI Graduate School to Yangjae, which lacks higher education institutions such as universities. Through cooperative projects including degree and non-degree programs, technology transfer to companies, and employment linkage, it is expected to greatly enhance the function and status of Yangjae as an innovation base for the AI industry.

The design direction of the 'AI Support Center' includes the arrangement of various open and communication spaces, a design harmonizing with nature such as Yangjaecheon Stream and Umyeonsan Mountain, energy-efficient green building features, and the application of a barrier-free environment.

To optimize the work and research of AI-related companies and research institutes, the center moves away from standardized spaces and appropriately arranges work, communication, and open spaces. To prepare a design plan that can foster creative ideas, an international design competition was held in January last year. Various outdoor spaces such as outdoor terraces will be created on each floor to give a sense of unity with the outstanding natural environment surrounding Yangjaecheon Stream and Umyeonsan Mountain. Instead of closed walls, the building will have a high proportion of transparent glass windows, allowing views of the outside from anywhere inside and naturally blending the building with nature.

The building will be constructed as an energy-efficient green building. To raise awareness of environmental values and promote energy-saving green buildings, the city has completed preliminary certification for the highest green building grade (Green Grade 1) and building energy efficiency grade 1++. It will be designed as a ‘barrier-free’ space that is safe and convenient for people with disabilities, non-disabled people, the general public, and transportation-vulnerable groups. It has received preliminary certification for ‘Barrier-Free Environment’ from the Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled and will obtain full certification after completion.

Kim Jin-pal, Director of the Urban Infrastructure Headquarters, said, “We will establish a continuous growth foundation to proactively support and nurture companies related to the rapidly growing AI industry worldwide, as well as big data, IoT, cloud, and other 4th Industrial Revolution sectors.” He added, “We will do our best to ensure safe construction and quality management so that the AI research facility can become a representative public building.”