Ministry of SMEs and Startups Announces Launch of 'AI Startup LLM Challenge'
Collaboration with KT, Naver Cloud, and Oracle to Support AI Startups
Up to 100 Million KRW in Funding for Selected Companies
Initiative Aims to Accelerate AI Transformation Across Industries
On July 16, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced the launch of the 'AI Startup LLM Challenge' program, which will open large corporations' LLM (Large Language Model) infrastructure to innovative artificial intelligence (AI) startups and support the development and commercialization of optimized AI solutions through collaboration. This initiative aims to boost productivity by enabling AI transformation (AX) led by startups across industries and enterprises, while also helping AI startups secure new business opportunities.
Three global corporations with their own LLMs?KT, Naver Cloud, and Oracle?will participate in this challenge, offering a total of 19 AX projects. The technical capabilities and other qualifications of AI startups that apply for these projects will be evaluated, and a total of 20 companies will be selected. The Ministry will provide up to 100 million KRW in collaboration funding for each selected AI startup.
First, KT will recruit six AI startups to participate in five projects utilizing its proprietary LLM, 'Mi:um 2.0.' Selected startups will be given access to development environments, opportunities for proof-of-concept (PoC) validation, and service testing using KT's LLM. Outstanding companies will also be offered opportunities to join KT’s external business consortiums and receive support in securing new business channels. Naver Cloud will recruit eight AI startups for eight projects, such as developing advanced data-driven AI agents for manufacturing sites, using its HyperCLOVA X LLM. Outstanding companies will be supported with opportunities to join the Naver Cloud Marketplace and to have their solutions adopted by matched partner companies, helping them secure new business channels. Oracle will also recruit six AI startups for six projects, including the development of industry-specific AI solutions for sectors such as manufacturing and finance. Outstanding companies will be supported in registering their solutions on global marketplaces and in securing business channels through global partners.
Following this announcement, the Ministry plans to provide collaboration opportunities for leading domestic AI fabless companies to utilize their NPUs (dedicated processors designed to optimize AI and deep learning computations) so that top-tier AI startups can develop and deploy AI solutions optimized for specific enterprises. In addition, the Ministry will enable top-tier AI startups to commercialize excellent core technologies owned by government-funded research institutes.
Cho Kyungwon, Director of Startup Policy at the Ministry, stated, "Korea's manufacturing-centered industrial structure and the growth of data-driven platform companies provide a favorable environment for AX in industries and enterprises." He added, "The competition in AI is now less about who develops the technology first, and more about who can apply it to industries and enterprises faster. We will continue to implement policies to ensure that AI transformation led by startups can be rapidly promoted."
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