- MSIT signed an MOU with partner companies on the K-Moonshot Strategy.
- The K-Moonshot Corporate Partnership was launched centered on AI infrastructure companies.
【Relevant National Tasks】
28-1. Nurturing future strategic technologies through public-private partnership
The “K-Moonshot” project, which aims to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance research productivity in science and technology (S&T) and accomplish national missions, will begin in earnest.
The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister: Bae Kyung-hoon) announced that it held a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony with cooperating companies for the “K-Moonshot Strategy” at The Plaza Hotel, Seoul on Wednesday, March 11. Participating companies span a range of sectors including domestic AI infrastructure, advanced bio, materials, and future energy.
The K-Moonshot Strategy* is a nationwide project to achieve key national missions and accelerate innovation in S&T by integrating AI with S&T. By mobilizing AI resources and research capabilities, the K-Moonshot Project aims to double research productivity by 2030 and accomplish 12 national missions across eight strategic fields—advanced bio, materials, future energy, physical AI, etc.—by 2035.
* The K-Moonshot Strategy was presented at the 2nd plenary meeting of the Presidential Council on National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (February 25) and the 5th Science and Technology Ministers’ Meeting (March 11).
The MOU ceremony marks the first step toward implementing the K-Moonshot Project. To date, 161 companies have expressed their intention to participate, and the ceremony was organized to strengthen the cooperative framework between the government and industry.
The ceremony was attended by approximately 50 participants, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bae, as well as CEOs and representatives from companies involved in AI infrastructure and the eight missions** under the K-Moonshot Project. Following presentations on the K-Moonshot Strategy and the K-Moonshot Corporate Partnership Framework, the MOU was signed and discussions were held on future cooperation.
* (AI Model and Agent) LG AI Research, SKT, Upstage, Naver Cloud, NC AI, Motif Technologies, KT, 42Maru, Nota AI, Liner, and Asteromorph
(Computing Infrastructure) LGU+, Elice Group, and MangoBoost
(Data) Persona AI, Flitto, Megazone, and Saltlux
** (Eight Strategic Fields) Advanced bio, future energy, physical AI, space, materials, AI scientist, semiconductors, quantum
Given that mobilizing AI resources and capabilities is key to the K-Moonshot Project, MSIT plans to establish the K-Moonshot Corporate Partnership centered on 88 companies specialized in AI infrastructure (such as AI models, computing and data) out of the 161 companies that have expressed their intention to participate. Companies for the accomplishment of the national missions will collaborate through mission-specific divisions under the “K-Moonshot Task Force,” which will be formed at a later stage. Their cooperative activities will be carried out in coordination with the K-Moonshot Corporate Partnership.
The K-Moonshot Corporate Partnership will have three divisions: 1) AI models, 2) computing and networks, and 3) data. These divisions will promote the provision of AI resources and technological cooperation, joint R&D and demonstration, and the development of an AI-based S&T ecosystem. In addition, participating companies will be provided with various incentives including support for research data and GPU infrastructure, as well as assistance for follow-up commercialization.
* Incentives include support for S&T infrastructure, R&D and follow-up commercialization, as well as measures to facilitate business growth and ensure revenue-generating models.
At the ceremony, participating companies and relevant government-funded research institutes—including the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI)—discussed how to support the successful implementation of the K-Moonshot Project.
Amid intensifying competition for AI-driven innovation in S&T among major countries including the United States and China as well as global big tech companies, participants shared the view that this is the decisive moment for global technological leadership. In this context, they reaffirmed the need for close cooperation and expressed a strong commitment to accelerating AI-based research innovation by promptly mobilizing the resources and capabilities of industry, academia, research institutes, and the government.
“At a time when AI is fundamentally reshaping the way S&T research is conducted, going beyond mere technological advancement, this is a ‘golden moment’ to mobilize national capabilities,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bae said, “We will advance the K-Moonshot Project toward the ‘AI Apollo Era’ with a strong sense of duty, just as we prepare for a lunar lander launching into uncharted space, so that Korea can move beyond being a follower of technology to a global leader in future technology.”
Building on this MOU ceremony, MSIT plans to launch the K-Moonshot Corporate Partnership in earnest and continue to expand public-private cooperation to ensure the successful implementation of the K-Moonshot Project.
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.