2,296 Nvidia H200 and 2,040 B200 Units
Offered at 5-10% of Market Price for Industry
Free Access for Academia and Research Institutes
Support for industry, academia, and research institutes will begin for the government-secured portion of the total 260,000 Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs) acquired by South Korea.
The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on December 22 that it will open a call for project proposals from industry, academia, and research institutes for the use of Nvidia GPU H200 (2,296 units) and B200 (2,040 units) by January 28 of next year. This initiative aims to support artificial intelligence (AI) research, development, and service creation.
The government secured over 13,000 advanced GPUs through the first supplementary budget for this year, totaling approximately 1.46 trillion won, and is sequentially installing them at the data centers of private cloud service providers (Naver Cloud, Kakao, and NHN Cloud). Of these, the government plans to utilize 10,000 GPUs as cloud services.
The 2,296 H200 units and 2,040 B200 units being deployed first will be prioritized for urgent AI demands from industry, academia, and research institutes. Through this call for proposals, the government plans to select projects aimed at creating innovative AI services and models. For each project, up to 32 H200 servers (256 units, with a minimum of 2 servers or 16 units) and up to 16 B200 servers (128 units, with a minimum of 2 servers or 16 units) will be supported. The support period can last up to 12 months, and some units may be allocated to national projects.
Each project will be selected through expert review based on criteria such as ▲ technological and social impact ▲ contribution to the AI ecosystem ▲ applicant capabilities, preparedness, and feasibility. Companies located in regional areas will receive additional points in the evaluation.
For large-scale projects that use 64 or more H200 units or 32 or more B200 units, an additional eligibility interview will be conducted. After selection, academic and research institutions can use the GPUs free of charge. For industry participants such as SMEs and startups, a self-funding requirement of about 5-10% of the market price will be imposed. Youth-led companies will receive an additional 50% discount.
The Ministry of Science and ICT will hold on-site briefings to explain the progress of the government GPU procurement project and the details of the call for proposals. To address potential user inconveniences in advance, a free pre-beta test will be offered for 512 B200 units (64 servers). Applications to participate in the pre-beta test will also be accepted online starting today.
Kim Kyungman, Director General for AI Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "Through this call for proposals, we plan to supply advanced GPU resources to industry, academia, and research institutes, supporting innovative AI research and service development, and contributing to strengthening national AI competitiveness and fostering an innovation ecosystem."
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