The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on the 27th that it held the Gwangju–South Jeolla renewable energy innovation growth forum at the Korea Electric Power Corporation Energy New Business Technology Research Institute in Naju, South Jeolla, and discussed cooperation plans for the energy industry and growth strategies for local corporations.
The forum was prepared to respond to the trend of the power industry reorganizing around direct current (DC) as artificial intelligence (AI) spreads and renewable energy adoption expands.
AI, data centers, energy storage systems (ESS), electric vehicles (EVs), and solar installations operate on a DC basis, but the current power grid is built around alternating current (AC), causing efficiency losses in the power conversion process. Fostering DC conversion technology and related industries has emerged as a new task.
At the forum, participants discussed ways to build a new growth ecosystem for the energy industry in the southwest region by linking South Jeolla's renewable energy and power equipment manufacturing capabilities with Gwangju's AI industry base.
Attendees included First Vice Minister No Yong-seok of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), officials from the Green Energy Institute, the AI Industry Convergence Project Group, and the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI), as well as small and midsize corporations in the DC field and officials from the Gwangju and South Jeolla local governments.
Before the forum, attendees visited the Global Special Zone for DC Industry Innovation to examine demonstration infrastructure related to DC conversion and shared views on ways to strengthen the competitiveness of the DC-based energy industry.
In the keynote presentations, Jeonnam Technopark introduced a DC power industry development strategy that links South Jeolla's renewable energy infrastructure with Gwangju's AI industry capabilities. The Green Energy Institute and UL Solutions presented joint technology development achievements by South Jeolla's small and midsize corporations and Germany's Fraunhofer Institute, promoted with support from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), as well as cases of global certification support. The AI Industry Convergence Project Group proposed the potential and development direction for using AI in energy detection, transaction, and maintenance.
The discussion focused on expanding DC-based renewable energy cooperation projects, supporting joint technology development, certification, and exports for power equipment corporations, and strategies to converge AI with the energy industry.
First Vice Minister No Yong-seok of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) said, "As the power sector is also rapidly shifting to a DC basis with the spread of AI and the expansion of renewable energy, cooperation based on the capabilities held by Gwangju and South Jeolla is important," adding, "The MSS will also support growth in the regional energy industry by promoting assistance linked to regional cooperation projects from technology development to demonstration, certification, commercialization, and global expansion."