South Korea’s ambitious sprint into the AI race—complete with a presidential AI czar and a multi-trillion-won investment plan—signals a serious intention to join the world’s AI powerhouses. Ha Jung-woo's appointment as Chief Secretary for AI Future Strategy marks a turning point, centralizing AI policymaking under an experienced leader who champions the intriguing concept of ‘sovereign AI.’
The idea is straightforward yet challenging: build AI systems deeply ingrained with Korea’s unique cultural, historical, and economic context. Think of it like giving AI an identity card stamped with K-pop, kimchi, and cutting-edge chip manufacturing. This could give Korean AI products a distinctive edge—not just in accuracy but in relevance and trust within the local market.
However, the devil is in the details. ha openly stresses the need for plenty of GPUs—a scarce and globally contested resource—highlighting the infrastructural bottlenecks in achieving this vision. The partnership between SK Group and AWS to build the largest AI data center in Ulsan addresses this, underlining how vital strong public-private cooperation is when navigating such mountainous ambitions.
Yet, 100 trillion won is a staggering sum, and deploying it effectively demands strategic targeting. Prioritizing sectors like semiconductors and biotech makes sense—not only do they align with national strengths, but AI augmentation there could offer exponential returns. But will the government move fast and flexibly enough to match the breakneck pace of AI innovation worldwide? And how open will the supposedly flagship 'sovereign AI' be, given the plan to release openly sourced AI tools?
The open-source angle is particularly fascinating—it could democratize access to homegrown AI technologies and catalyze innovation beyond big corporations, fueling startups and academia alike. However, balancing national interests and global collaboration will be a tightrope walk.
In short, South Korea’s strategy is a smart mix of pride, pragmatism, and passion—rooting AI development in its own soil while keeping one eye on the global horizon. For other countries watching, it’s a compelling case study: can sovereign AI become the next national tech identity or just another expensive experiment? Time, GPU supply, and smart policy moves will tell. Source: South Korea to pour $735 bn into developing sovereign AI built on Korean language and data
