The government will provide additional support for overseas demonstration projects to help domestic companies export artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors developed in Korea.
The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on July 17 that it held a kick-off meeting for the supplementary budget project for "Overseas Demonstration Support for AI Semiconductors," which aims to help domestic AI semiconductor companies test their AI servers in overseas markets and facilitate their global expansion.
AI semiconductors can process thousands of operations simultaneously and are mainly used for deep learning. Deep learning refers to technology that enables computers to combine and analyze external data to learn autonomously, and the advent of deep learning has significantly improved AI performance.
The purpose of this project is to support domestic AI semiconductor companies and AI solution providers in demonstrating AI services equipped with Korean AI semiconductors at overseas companies and public institutions, thereby helping them secure use cases (references).
Previously, in April, the Ministry selected two consortia each for server-type and edge-type projects through the main program. The server-type projects involve applying Korean AI semiconductors to local facilities and institutions and running AI services to verify performance. The edge-type projects verify whether Korean AI semiconductors and AI solutions can be stably implemented on individual devices.
As companies continued to request expanded support, citing high competition rates during the main program, the Ministry secured a supplementary budget in May to support four additional consortia.
Thirteen consortia applied for the supplementary demonstration project. After expert evaluations of overseas expansion potential and technological capabilities, the Ministry selected the following four consortia: Douzone Bizon-FuriosaAI (server-type), Ecopis-Rebellions (server-type), LBSTech-Dinotisia (edge-type), and RaonPeople-Mobilint (edge-type).
The four consortia additionally selected through the supplementary budget will conduct demonstrations in Europe (United Kingdom), the Middle East (UAE), Japan, and Thailand. These demonstration sites do not overlap with those selected in the main program (Taiwan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Malaysia).
During the kick-off meeting, each selected consortium shared its demonstration plans. Participating companies discussed the difficulties they face when entering overseas markets, such as a lack of overseas cooperation channels and testbeds, and exchanged ideas on areas that need to be addressed in future projects.
Park Taewan, Director-General for Information and Communications Industry Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "By demonstrating Korean AI semiconductors and AI solutions in new environments overseas, we believe this will help verify and enhance product performance and secure references." He added, "The government will also maintain active communication to help companies achieve their goals, including providing continuous feedback on challenges and improvement measures encountered during the demonstration process."
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