Climate Ministry Holds Water Industry Forum...Exploring AI-Based Expansion Overseas

The government is embarking in earnest on fostering the future water industry by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with climate tech.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced that on the 24th it will hold the "1st Win-Win Growth Forum for the Water Industry" at Sangyeonjae in Jung-gu, Seoul, to discuss strategies for developing the AI- and climate tech-based water industry and ways to expand its overseas presence.

At this forum, about 20 public- and private-sector experts from the government, academia, industry, related institutions, and venture capital firms will gather to focus on domestic and global trends in the climate tech water sector and on the role of the water industry in responding to the climate crisis. The event will focus on redefining the water industry as a core climate tech sector and fleshing out future growth strategies.

Signboard of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment at the Government Complex Sejong. Photo by Yonhap News

As the intensifying climate crisis leads to more water-related disasters such as floods and droughts, and as the energy transition toward low-carbon and renewable energy accelerates, the linkage between water and energy is emerging as a key agenda item for both industry and policy. Accordingly, strategies for the water industry’s overseas expansion are now required to shift away from a simple focus on facility construction toward approaches centered on data-based decision-making, AI-based prediction and operational optimization, smart water treatment and reuse, and carbon-reducing water management technologies.

The event will proceed with presentations by specialized institutions followed by discussions. The Korea Institute of Science and Technology will present ways to combine the existing water industry with innovative technologies under the theme "Breakthroughs in the Climate Crisis: The Golden Time for K-Water Tech," and the Korea Institute of Energy Research will present directions and tasks for cross-industry convergence under the theme "The Role of the Water-Energy Industry in Responding to the Climate Crisis." A general discussion will then follow, chaired by Forum Chairperson Hong Seungkwan, to share government policy directions and industry opinions.

Starting with this event, the ministry plans to hold a total of four regular forums this year to sequentially discuss revitalizing domestic demand in the water industry, cooperation among industry, academia, and research institutes for entry into the global market, and the identification of best-practice cases in new green and digital businesses.

Kim Jiyeong, Director-General for Water Use Policy at the ministry, said, "In the midst of the climate crisis and the AI transition, strengthening the linkage between water and energy and securing competitiveness in climate tech are key factors that will determine the future competitiveness of the water industry," adding, "We will actively support the joint overseas expansion of Korean water companies by reinforcing cooperative frameworks among the government, academia, and large and small enterprises."