Gwangju Accelerates Cloud Transition as an AI-Centered City

Gwangju-Jeonnam Venture Forum Held
Strengthening Public-Private Cooperation

Gwangju, which has declared itself a city centered on AI, has begun to develop response strategies in line with the transition to cloud computing in the public sector.

The Gwangju Jeonnam Venture Business Association (Chairman Kim Hyunsoo) announced on the 28th that it held the 24th Gwangju Jeonnam Venture Forum on the 27th under the theme of "Operational Strategies for the Gwangju National AI Data Center and the Daegu Integrated Computing Center."

Participants of the 24th Gwangju Jeonnam Venture Forum are taking a commemorative photo on the 27th in Gwangju. Provided by Gwangju Jeonnam Venture Business Association

Attendees at the forum included Kim Yonggu, Chairman of the Gwangju Jeonnam branch of the Innobiz Association; Oh Eunsik, Head of the Honam Regional Headquarters of the Korea Technology Finance Corporation; Ko Sugyeong, Chairperson of the Gwangju Jeonnam Women Venture Association; Lee Minsun, Chairperson of the Gwangju branch of the Korea Women Entrepreneurs Association; Yoon Bonggeun, Chairman of the Korea-Vietnam Science Education Small and Medium Venture Business Exchange Association; Jo Jaeyoung, Director at NHN CLOUD; and approximately 70 small and medium venture business representatives from Gwangju and Jeonnam.

Jo Jaeyoung, Director at NHN CLOUD, who gave a presentation, explained, "In the public sector, the transition to cloud computing is taking place based on demand from areas such as education, finance, and defense. In addition, a specialized digital service contract system is being implemented to promote the adoption of public SaaS (Software as a Service)." He added, "Recently, the establishment of the 'National AI Computing Center,' a public-private AI infrastructure project worth 2 trillion won, is underway, and the transition to cloud-native systems is becoming a significant trend in the public sector." He further stated, "We will actively support local small and medium venture businesses in entering the cloud market by increasing understanding of the National AI Data Center located in Gwangju."

The forum also featured a business presentation by Hong Jinpyo, CEO of Saengko Edu, who is developing an AI-based learning system. Introducing the "AI-based Thinking Structure Learning Tutoring System, Saenggak Coding," Hong stated, "By 2026, we plan to develop the 'Brain Tooler' thinking training system as a platform in collaboration with Korea University's AI Research Institute and Hanyang University's Department of Educational Technology."

Oh Eunsik, Head of the Honam Regional Headquarters of the Korea Technology Finance Corporation, said in his congratulatory remarks, "We will expand technology evaluation and financial support so that promising companies in Gwangju's future core industries such as AI, big data, mobility, and semiconductors can grow stably."

Kim Hyunsoo, Chairman, said, "With this forum as an opportunity, we will work with NHN CLOUD to utilize cloud infrastructure to develop Gwangju into an AI-centered city and establish a foundation where venture businesses can settle. We will continue this as a strategy to address the challenges of declining youth population and the risk of regional extinction."