On June 20 (Friday), the Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Yoo Sang-im, hereinafter “MSIT”) attended the “AI Global Cooperation Roundtable” and the launch ceremony for the Ulsan AI Data Center, held at the Ulsan Exhibition & Convention Center.
The roundtable was organized to coincide with the launch of the large-scale (100MW-class) Ulsan AI Data Center, a project led by SK Group, which recently secured a $4 billion investment from Amazon Web Services (AWS). The project, valued at approximately KRW 7 trillion, is scheduled to break ground in September 2025, begin partial operations with 41MW in November 2027, and reach full capacity of 103MW by February 2029.
Participants at the roundtable included leading domestic AI and platform companies involved in global collaboration and overseas expansion efforts, such as Kakao, Naver Cloud, LG AI Research, Samsung SDS, as well as startups like FuriosaAI and Lunit. Ministers from relevant ministries and members of the National Assembly also joined to engage in robust discussions on strategies for enhancing Korea’s global AI competitiveness and market entry.
Date/Time & Venue: June 20, 2025 (Fri), 10:00–11:00 / Ulsan Exhibition & Convention Center
Participants:
Government (central and local): MSIT Minister, MOTIE Minister, Ulsan Mayor
Industry: SK, FuriosaAI (AI semiconductors), Lunit (AI healthcare), Kakao, Naver Cloud, Samsung SDS, LG AI Research, Korea AI·SW Industry Association
National Assembly: Lawmakers Choi Min-hee, Choi Hyung-doo, Kim Tae-seon, Kim Sang-wook
SK, which spearheaded the AWS investment, emphasized the need for stimulating AI demand, supporting AI startups, and innovating AI education to nurture national talent. FuriosaAI outlined its progress and future plans for mass production of domestic AI semiconductors. Kakao shared its vision for expanding “everyday AI services” through a strategic partnership with OpenAI, while Samsung SDS introduced its efforts to scale globally through enterprise AI platforms and solutions. Lunit noted that 93% of its 2024 revenue came from overseas, stressing the need for substantial government support to facilitate international data access.
Discussions also focused on securing sovereign AI capabilities and strengthening global competitiveness.
LG AI Research highlighted the need for policies that enhance ecosystem competitiveness around proprietary foundation models to achieve Korea’s goal of becoming a top-three global AI power. Naver Cloud echoed the importance of bold investment to secure sovereign AI, and the Korea AI·SW Industry Association asserted that owning world-class LLMs has become a national imperative, calling for strong government backing.
The event also featured demonstrations of innovative AI technologies developed by Korean firms. Notable showcases included:
Twelve Labs’ large-scale video comprehension AI that analyzes and summarizes video content
Studio Lab’s AI commerce tool that generates product detail pages from uploaded images
Rebellions’ Korean AI semiconductor powering generative AI services
The construction of the Ulsan AI Data Center is expected to significantly expand Korea’s AI computing capacity, a critical foundation for AI development and deployment. This expansion is projected to catalyze diverse AI services and accelerate the nationwide digital transformation.
Looking ahead, the government plans to actively support private-sector efforts to develop a robust AI data center ecosystem—often referred to as the “highway of the AI era.” Following the March 2025 amendment of the Act on Restriction on Special Cases Concerning Taxation, which designated AI as a national strategic technology, further tax incentives for AI data center investments are under consideration in subsequent sub-regulations.
In parallel, the National Assembly is reviewing related legislation, such as the “Act on Promotion and Infrastructure Development for AI Data Centers” (proposed by Rep. Jeong Dong-young on May 14). The government intends to participate actively in the legislative process.
In sum, the government is committed to mobilizing all public and private resources to drive innovation across Korea’s AI infrastructure—including data centers, talent development, and data ecosystems—and advance the nation’s ambition to become a global AI powerhouse.
For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
Please refer to the attached PDF.