The government will fully launch the "K-Moonshot" project to use artificial intelligence (AI) to boost the productivity of science and technology research and solve core national challenges.
The Ministry of Science and ICT said on the 11th that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for cooperation on the "K-Moonshot implementation strategy" at The Plaza Seoul with domestic AI and infrastructure corporations and mission-area corporations in advanced bio, materials, and future energy.
K-Moonshot is a nationwide project that combines AI and science and technology to solve core national challenges and speed up research innovation. The government plans to pool AI resources and research capacity in science and technology to double research productivity by 2030 and pursue solutions to 12 national missions in eight areas, including advanced bio, materials, future energy, and physical AI, by 2035.
This signing ceremony is largely the first step to actually implement the K-Moonshot implementation strategy. So far, 161 corporations have expressed their intention to participate and cooperate in the project. The Ministry of Science and ICT said it arranged this MOU to flesh out a foundation for cooperation with industry.
About 50 people attended the event, including Bae Kyung-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, representatives from corporations in AI models, computing infrastructure, and data, and heads of corporations related to the eight missions. The event featured presentations on the K-Moonshot implementation strategy and plans to operate corporate partnerships, the signing of MOUs between the government and corporations, and discussions on future cooperation.
The government sees the consolidation of AI resources and capabilities as the core of K-Moonshot and plans to run the "K-Moonshot corporate partnership" centered on 88 corporations in AI models, computing, and data among the 161 corporations that expressed willingness to cooperate. Corporations in the mission areas will participate through the sectoral subcommittees of the "K-Moonshot implementation unit" to be formed later, and will also link and cooperate with the corporate partnership.
The corporate partnership will operate in three divisions: AI models; computing and networks; and data. Its key roles are providing AI resources and technology cooperation, joint research, development and demonstration, and building an AI-based science and technology ecosystem. The government is also considering support for participating corporations with research data and infrastructure such as GPUs, as well as research and development (R&D) and follow-up commercialization support.
At the event, the partner corporations and government-funded research institutes, including Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), and Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), discussed the direction of K-Moonshot and ways to cooperate. Participants agreed that, as the United States and China and global big tech corporations are accelerating competition in science and technology innovation based on AI, there is a need in Korea to bring together the resources and capabilities of industry, academia, research, and government more quickly.
Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said, "AI is changing the way science and technology research is done," adding, "We will pool public and private capabilities to increase the speed of research innovation."