Full-Scale Discussions on Joint Acquisition and Utilization of 260,000 GPUs
Flexible Operation Through Working-Level and High-Level Systems
The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on November 27 that it has officially launched the "GPU Working Group," a joint initiative with the private sector to secure a large-scale supply of advanced graphics processing units (GPUs). On this day, Vice Minister Ryu Je-myeong held the group's first meeting near Gwanghwamun, Seoul, with C-level executives from Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Company, SK Telecom, and Naver, discussing strategic plans for the acquisition and utilization of a total of 260,000 GPUs.
This working group was established as a follow-up to the government and private sector's agreement, made during the recent APEC summit, to jointly secure 260,000 advanced GPUs. Under the plan, the government will secure 50,000 units, Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Company, and SK Telecom will collectively secure 50,000 units, and Naver will secure 60,000 units. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to use the launch as an opportunity to develop a comprehensive national implementation plan and future response strategies.
The inaugural meeting was attended by Vice Minister Ryu Je-myeong, Song Yong-ho, Vice President of Samsung Electronics, Jin Eun-sook, Vice President of Hyundai Motor Company, Yoo Kyung-sang, Head of AI CIC at SK Telecom, and Kim Yu-won, CEO of Naver Cloud, among others. Participants shared strategies for large-scale GPU acquisition and utilization between the government and private sector, discussed ways to promote mutual cooperation to vitalize the domestic artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem, and explored long-term strategies to strengthen global competitiveness. They also agreed to establish a permanent cooperation system and to convene the working group as needed.
Going forward, the Ministry of Science and ICT will continue regular communication with the private sector through the working group and, when necessary, hold high-level meetings to devise strategic responses. The ministry also stated that it will actively review requests for government support raised within the working group and work to develop effective implementation measures.
Vice Minister Ryu Je-myeong said, "The launch of this GPU Working Group is a follow-up to the President's meetings with Jensen Huang of Nvidia and major AI companies during APEC. It marks the beginning of a full-scale cooperative phase to achieve tangible results through the large-scale acquisition and strategic utilization of advanced GPUs, which are a core infrastructure of the AI era." He added, "The government and private sector will work as one team to make Korea a global AI powerhouse, and we will make multifaceted policy efforts to build an ecosystem that drives the development and expansion of domestic AI competitiveness."
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