Daejeon City, Hannam University, TTA, KT, BK Energy, and R.O. Defense Sign Business Agreement
To Be Established on the Hannam University Campus by 2028
From the left, Seong Jehyeon, Head of KT Gangbuk-Gangwon Corporate Customer Headquarters; Jung Siwoo, Chairman of BK Energy; Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon; Lee Seungchul, President of Hannam University; Son Seunghyun, Chairman of the Korea Information and Communication Technology Association; Park Junsang, CEO of ROD Defense (Photo by Daejeon City)
The "Hannam University AX Cluster and High-Performance AI GPU Hub Center" will be established at Hannam University in Daejeon.
On December 17, Daejeon City signed a business agreement with Hannam University, the Korea Information and Communication Technology Association (TTA), KT Corporation, BK Energy, and R.O. Defense to build the "Hannam University AX Cluster and High-Performance AI GPU Hub Center."
This agreement comes in response to the intensifying global competition in AI technology, aiming to support research institutions and AI-specialized companies by establishing a GPU hub center. The center will be constructed on a 7,457-square-meter site on the Hannam University campus and is scheduled for completion by 2028.
The signing ceremony was attended by Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon; Lee Seungcheol, President of Hannam University; Son Seunghyun, Chairman of the Korea Information and Communication Technology Association (TTA); Seong Jehyeon, Head of KT Gangbuk Gangwon Corporate Customer Division; Jung Siwoo, Chairman of BK Energy; and Park Junsang, CEO of R.O. Defense, marking the launch of an industry-academia-research-government collaboration project.
The High-Performance AI GPU Hub Center will be equipped with essential infrastructure for providing AI services, including GPU servers, high-performance networks, and storage systems necessary for processing and training massive datasets.
In addition, high-efficiency facilities will be implemented to maximize energy efficiency and minimize power demand. The center will serve as a "GPU Control Tower," dedicated to supporting GPU operational performance verification and computation. As a result, it is expected to become a core regional AI hub jointly utilized by universities, government-funded research institutes, and startups in the Daejeon area.
In this project, Hannam University will build a complete AX ecosystem on campus that connects research, data, GPUs, education, and industry, based on its urban high-tech industrial complex. The Korea Information and Communication Technology Association will be responsible for AI technology verification, standardization, and technology development support.
KT Corporation will oversee the design, construction, and operation of the GPU hub center. BK Energy will be in charge of supplying GPUs and securing investments, while R.O. Defense will be responsible for establishing the foundational environment, including network security, to ensure stable operations.
Lee Seungcheol, President of Hannam University, stated, "We will focus all the university's capabilities so that this hub center, combined with Daejeon's outstanding R&D capacity, becomes a key engine driving global AI competitiveness beyond Korea."
Seong Jehyeon, Head of KT Gangbuk Gangwon Corporate Customer Division, said, "Based on KT's accumulated experience, we will ensure that the Daejeon GPU Hub Center emerges as Korea's leading AI hub connecting government, industry, academia, and research."
Jung Siwoo, Chairman of BK Energy, commented, "We will build an AX hyperscale GPU data center in Daejeon with the highest-level facilities in the central region, making it the mecca of AI data centers."
Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon, emphasized, "Daejeon is Korea's leading city for R&D and has the highest concentration of AI technology demand. Through the construction of this high-performance AI GPU hub center, we will further advance Daejeon's AI ecosystem and transform it into a global AX innovation city based on industry-academia-research collaboration."
Daejeon City expects that, once the High-Performance AI GPU Hub Center is fully operational, it will have a wide range of economic and industrial ripple effects, including ▲ fostering the growth of AI startups, ▲ accelerating the AI transformation of local industries, and ▲ strengthening digital competitiveness.
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