The Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Information Society Agency (NIA) said on the 28th they will push ahead in earnest with a project to shift public CCTVs to neuromorphic processing unit (NPU)-based systems, titled "domestic NPU-based artificial intelligence (AI) CCTV transition."
By introducing NPUs to control center CCTV servers, AI models will analyze each CCTV feed in real time to quickly detect dangerous situations and notify controllers so each control center can respond immediately.
The ministry plans to invest a total of 11.68 billion won this year to introduce NPUs to 18,100 CCTVs.
Through a public call, the ministry selected South Gyeongsang Province, Ulsan Metropolitan City, and the Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC) as demand agencies. Each institution plans to introduce NPUs from Rebellions, DeepX, and Mobilinx into CCTV control centers to support accident prevention and response. South Gyeongsang Province will build a system for rapid disaster detection and response; Ulsan Metropolitan City will work to prevent safety accidents and strengthen public safety in industrial complex areas; and the Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC) plans to use AI CCTVs to automatically detect incidents such as highway traffic accidents and congestion and to provide a safer road environment.
Going forward, the ministry will select demand agencies each year from among local governments and public institutions and actively support the introduction of NPUs to public CCTVs.
Hong Seong-wan, director general for communications policy at the ministry, said, "We hope this project will spur the full-scale adoption of NPUs in public CCTVs and be widely used for swift responses at disaster and accident sites," adding, "We will work to ensure that people can enjoy a safer and more convenient life through AI."