South Korean Government to Distribute 10,000 Nvidia GPUs

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TLDR

South Korea will distribute 10,000 Nvidia GPUs to SMEs, startups, and academic projects to accelerate AI development.
The government aims to acquire 50,000 Nvidia GPUs by 2030, with an initial investment of 1.4 trillion won.
Applications for AI development projects will open in February, with up to 256 H200 or 128 B200 GPUs available per project.
The government’s initiative is part of a broader effort to build a national sovereign AI platform with corporate support.
Naver Corp. will receive 60,000 GPUs for AI research, contributing to South Korea’s self-reliant AI infrastructure.

The South Korean government announced plans to allocate 10,000 Nvidia GPUs to small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs), startups, and academic projects. This allocation aims to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the country. Starting in February, AI-focused industries, researchers, and startups can apply for access to these high-performance computing resources.

Government’s Strategy to Foster Domestic AI Ecosystem

The allocation is part of a broader effort by the South Korean government to strengthen its domestic AI ecosystem. Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon chaired a meeting to discuss the plan, focusing on the importance of boosting AI capabilities in the country. This move is also part of a long-term plan to acquire 50,000 Nvidia GPUs by 2030, with the first phase costing 1.4 trillion won (US$947.2 million).

The GPUs will be configured into a large-scale cluster that will support high-speed computing for AI model training and inference. The government plans to open applications for AI development projects from industry, academia, and research institutions. The deadline for submitting applications is set for January 28, with up to 256 H200 GPUs or 128 B200 GPUs available per project.

Collaborative Efforts for AI Growth in South Korea

This announcement follows Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s October statement that the company would provide 260,000 GPUs to South Korea. The partnership aims to build large-scale AI factories in collaboration with major companies such as Samsung Electronics. Under the plan, the government will contribute 50,000 GPUs to develop a national sovereign AI platform, with Samsung, SK Group, and Hyundai Motor Group each receiving 50,000 units.

In total, Naver Corp. is set to receive 60,000 GPUs to support AI research and development. The government will distribute 6,000 B200 GPUs for a nationwide project. This project focuses on developing homegrown AI foundation models. It aims to create a sustainable, self-reliant AI infrastructure in South Korea.

The government’s commitment to AI development is reflected in ongoing investments. This includes a recent 1.4 trillion won expenditure on Nvidia GPUs. The move comes as global AI competition intensifies. Established companies like Nvidia and Samsung are also increasing investments in AI technologies.