NHN Cloud said on the 7th that it signed a business agreement with the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME) and the Korea AI Association to support the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) small and medium-sized venture corporations in the Honam region.
The agreement was held at the Gwangju AI Data Center and was pursued with the goal of building an AI industrial ecosystem in the Honam region and spreading manufacturing-site AX (AI transformation), based on an integrated support model that combines policy, infrastructure, and education.
Under the agreement, the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME) will support the commercialization and global expansion of corporations introducing AI through policy support such as policy funds for investment and loan, export support, startup support, and corporate growth training.
The Korea AI Association will identify target corporations centered on its member companies and cooperate to ensure that policy and infrastructure support can be delivered effectively through linkages among institutions, while conveying demand from industrial sites.
NHN Cloud will provide cloud credits, security and technical support, and high-performance GPU-based artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure so that corporations can carry out AI development and services without initial investment burdens.
In particular, it plans to accelerate the adoption and commercialization of AI technologies by regional small and medium-sized venture corporations by leveraging a GPU-centric infrastructure based on the Gwangju AI Data Center and contribute to building the regional AI industrial ecosystem.
Cho Han-gyo, head of human resources growth at the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME), said, "A foundation has been laid for small and medium-sized venture corporations considering AI adoption to receive funding, education, and infrastructure at the same time," and added, "We will resolve difficulties on the corporate front lines and support sustained growth."
Jung Ji-seong, president of the Korea AI Association, said, "At a time when consolidation between corporations and support institutions is important, we will strengthen our role as a bridge so that policy and infrastructure can be delivered effectively to the field."
An NHN Cloud official said, "It is meaningful to provide the infrastructure needed for AI development in a timely manner and support corporations so they can focus on service development and commercialization," and added, "We will advance the AI utilization environment through cooperation with related institutions and support strengthening the competitiveness of small and medium-sized venture corporations."