Kakao Enterprise said on the 19th that it will participate in Jeollanam-do and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' "region-led artificial intelligence (AI) great transition project." The region-led AI great transition project supports, for two years, customized AI utilization and diffusion programs that are autonomously planned to fit the characteristics and conditions of local industries, in order to rapidly shift small and medium-sized businesses in regions with low AI utilization to AI.
Jeollanam-do plans to assess the level of AI adoption by corporations in the province's flagship industries—materials, parts, and equipment sectors such as chemicals, steel, and ceramics; bio industries such as pharmaceuticals and food; and new and renewable energy—and support the introduction of tailored AI equipment and solutions. In addition, it will pursue the development and demonstration of AI agents suitable for these core industries. Jeollanam-do will oversee the project, with Jeonnam Technopark as the lead institution, and Kakao Enterprise, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), KEPCO KDN (KDN), the Korea SMEs Job Economy Promotion Agency, Suncheon National University, and the Korea Institute of Energy Technology participating together.
In this project, Kakao Enterprise plans to carry out AI infrastructure construction and operation based on its experience operating graphics processing unit (GPU) clusters, push the design and construction of an AI open platform, and introduce and demonstrate a microgrid AI solution.
In the first year, Kakao Enterprise will focus on enhancing the usability of the AI platform by providing high-performance hybrid GPUaaS (GPU as a service) so that regional demand-side corporations can maximize AI utilization. In the second year, it will drive a practical AI transition for the region's pillar industries based on the completed high-performance AI infrastructure. .
Lee Yong-min, head of cloud at Kakao Enterprise, said, "Through this project, Kakao Enterprise will help corporations in Jeollanam-do build AI competitiveness and contribute as a technology company to establishing a sustainable local industrial ecosystem," and added, "We will support Jeollanam-do so it can become a leading example of Korea's AI great transition."