With global artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities concentrated in the United States and China, researchers are calling for an alliance of "bridge power" countries.
"AI bridge power countries" refers to nations that face practical constraints in building ultra–large-scale AI and power infrastructure on their own. This includes Korea, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Singapore. These countries are not ultra–large-scale AI hegemons like the United States and China, but they possess world-class research influence, technological strength and digital infrastructure.
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) said on the 18th that a team led by Professor Park Kyung-ryeol at the Center for Global Development and Ethics in Science and Technology (G-CODEs) published a policy report, "A blueprint for multinational cooperation on AI development," presenting a new international cooperation strategy that goes beyond the U.S.- and China-centric AI power structure.
Jointly published with Mila in Canada, the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, RWTH Aachen University and the Technical University of Munich in Germany, and École Normale Supérieure in Paris, the report noted that about 90% of the world's AI computing capacity is concentrated in the United States (75%) and China (15%). It analyzed that such resource concentration restricts bridge power countries from independently developing cutting-edge AI and could deepen technological dependence on certain countries or global big tech.
The cooperation model presented in the report is a multinational joint research framework like CERN, with shared computing infrastructure, high-quality data cooperation, and cross-border talent and research exchanges as its core pillars. The key is to develop frontier AI models while building an inclusive AI ecosystem that reflects ethical AI use and linguistic and cultural diversity. It also proposes strengthening participating countries' long-term technological self-reliance and innovation capacity. Holger Hoos, a professor at RWTH Aachen University in Germany, called the initiative "a realistic and essential choice to protect the technological sovereignty of AI bridge countries."
Park Kyung-ryeol, a KAIST professor, said, "This report shows that, amid the concentration of cutting-edge AI capabilities in a few countries, AI bridge powers, including Korea, can present an alternative path through scientific and technological solidarity," adding, "For us, it can be a new opportunity to strengthen responsible AI leadership by taking the lead on agendas that jointly address global challenges."