Seoul City Partners with Big Tech MS to Foster AI Decacorn

Seoul AI Hub-MS Partnership... Startupthon & Meetup Day Held
Big Tech Technology and Human Resources Mobilized... Targeting Startups
Scott Hanselman Vice President Shares Know-How at Seoul AI Hub

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is partnering with global big tech company Microsoft (MS) to support the overseas expansion of domestic startups. The collaboration focuses on projects targeting not only startups but also prospective entrepreneurs and developers. (Refer to the April 17th issue of this paper, '[Exclusive] Seoul City to Promote Collaborative Projects with Microsoft... Hansellman Visits AI Hub')

On the 24th, Seoul announced that 'Seoul AI Hub,' the first specialized support institution in the AI field in Korea, opened in 2017 with a focus on AI specialization, will engage in various collaborative projects with MS. 'Seoul AI Hub' is an AI-specialized startup support facility operated by Seoul since 2017, promoting projects such as ▲industry-academia-research joint research ▲training of advanced AI talent ▲support for corporate growth. It is also the first specialized support facility for AI startups nationwide, including local governments.

First, starting this month, 'Seoul AI Hub' and MS will discuss ▲hosting a generative AI (Gen AI) startupthon for university students in the AI field ▲co-hosting the MS MVP-Seoul AI Hub resident company meetup day ▲providing the MS Launcher startup growth package for early-stage startups.

The generative AI startupthon is a startup and hackathon exchange event for university students in the AI field. It is an event to discover excellent startup ideas and support their commercialization. In this process, MS provides pre-education such as prompt engineering and expert mentoring for participants. MS MVPs (Most Valuable Professionals), experts in IT technology and MS product utilization, conduct MS product development feedback and MS-hosted knowledge and technology sharing events. Additionally, through meetings with MS MVPs, Seoul AI Hub resident companies, and AI field experts, participants will engage in technology sharing and networking.

To support the growth of early-stage startups, MS offers ▲usage rights for MS products such as the cloud computing platform Azure and software development platform GitHub ▲management support services including legal consultation, education, and recruitment ▲provision of office space and rent support ▲support for connecting startups with overseas investors for global expansion.

As the ability to utilize AI becomes increasingly important, 'AI literacy education for Seoul citizens' will be held three times this year (100 people per session). It introduces AI technologies applicable in daily life and provides practical opportunities, including ▲introduction to generative AI such as ChatGPT ▲how to become a 'work expert' using ChatGPT ▲how to become a content creator ▲methods to improve marketing planning and execution skills.

To enhance the capabilities of AI industry workers, specialized AI lectures for prospective entrepreneurs and developers will also be held. These sessions provide time to understand the latest technology trends and practice. The August lecture will cover ▲latest technology trends in natural language processing models and large language models (LLM) ▲generative AI utilization techniques through GPT modeling and prompt engineering practice ▲automation technologies necessary for startup tasks such as planning, marketing, and coding. As the first event of the collaborative project, on the 29th, Scott Hansellman, Vice President of the MS Developer Community, will give a special lecture for resident companies at 'Seoul AI Hub.' This session will share growth know-how for early startups from startup idea conception to commercialization.

Lee Hae-woo, Director of Seoul's Economic Policy Office, said, "In the era of AI-driven transformation, AI technology is a core driver of economic growth and the advancement of citizens' lives." He added, "With the largest AI industry ecosystem in Korea centered on 'Seoul AI Hub,' we will strengthen our companies' technological capabilities and enhance the global competitiveness of the AI industry through diverse collaborations with world-leading companies in the AI field."

Meanwhile, Seoul is developing the 200,000㎡ 'AI Seoul Tech City,' which will open the AI 2.0 era. Targeting 2028, the site is the current Yangjae-dong Yanggok Wholesale Market area, envisioned as an 'AI industrial city within Seoul' where AI talent and companies gather, equipped with cultural and residential spaces for them, serving as a core foundation for future industries.

Seoul plans to continue expanding exchanges with global big tech companies. Since last month, it has been operating the 'AI Startup School with Seoul' to nurture early and prospective AI entrepreneurs in collaboration with Google. Seoul is the world's first city to run such a program, where participants share insights from entrepreneurs with successful AI startup founding experiences through roundtable events. Internal support measures are also underway. Earlier this year, Mayor Oh announced at the New Year's press conference, "AI technology has advanced in Seoul's administration. This year will be the first year of its generalization and popularization." In line with this, Seoul recently announced a budget of 4.4 billion KRW to support over 400 startups in expanding into 16 countries, including Silicon Valley in the United States. A Seoul city official stated, "To enhance the competitiveness of domestic AI companies, we plan to further expand cooperation with MS," adding, "We expect the scope of activities at the soon-to-open Seoul AI Hub to also increase."