Gumi City Set to Emerge as a Hub for AI Transformation in the Secondary Battery Industry

Final Selection for Industrial AI Project
Kickstarting Full-Scale Innovation in Manufacturing

Gumi City in North Gyeongsang Province announced on September 15 that it has been finally selected for the 2025 "Industrial AI Solution Demonstration and Expansion Support" project, hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The goal of this project is to simultaneously address workforce shortages and safety issues in the secondary battery industry through a phased approach: establishing an industrial AI standard system, on-site demonstration, and formulating strategies for industrial expansion.

The project will be carried out with a total budget of 4.3 billion won (including 2.1 billion won in national funding). The anchor consortium includes research institutions such as the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology and Gyeongbuk Technopark, academic partners including Pohang University of Science and Technology, Seoul National University, and KAIST, as well as leading local companies based in Gumi such as PNT, IS Ecosolution, and Avaco. Centered around this consortium, the city plans to design standard AI unmanned and zero-accident solutions, conduct on-site demonstrations and applications, and establish a sustainable industrial innovation roadmap.

The domestic manufacturing sector is facing structural challenges such as low growth and concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area. In particular, regional companies are struggling with the risks associated with adopting new technologies. Through this project, Gumi City aims to provide a demonstration environment in which companies can safely introduce and utilize AI, and to use this as a foundation to promote the expansion of AI adoption from the secondary battery sector to all industries, including electronics and materials.

Gumi Mayor Kim Jangho stated, "This project marks an important turning point for Gumi as the starting point for the demonstration and expansion of industrial AI innovation," adding, "We will create an environment where local companies can easily utilize AI, thereby improving both productivity and safety, and we will spare no administrative support to ensure that Gumi establishes itself as the leading city for AI transformation in Korea's manufacturing industry."