The Ministry of Planning and Budget announced on the 19th that it has selected 229 products and services for the 'AI Application Product Rapid Commercialization Support Project (AX Sprint)' and will provide a total of 754 billion won in support.

It is a collaborative project involving 11 ministries, where each ministry identifies on-site needs and the Ministry of Planning and Budget oversees and coordinates the process. Among the original 246 support plans, the re-announcement and additional selection procedures are currently underway for some projects.

The selected products were concentrated in fields of high timeliness.

In the agricultural, livestock, and fisheries sectors, robots that automatically harvest and transport cucumbers and strawberries, robots that automate slaughtering processes, and systems that autonomously determine feeding times and quantities in aquaculture farms are replacing the shrinking workforce.

For the elderly, the following were included: a walking aid that detects walking patterns to reduce falls; a 24-hour care system linking smart homes with in-home care; and an on-demand rural demand-responsive transportation model.

In industrial sites, drones that inspect facilities and fire hazards through autonomous flight, autonomous semi-humanoid robots for patrolling, and construction robots that perform demolition work are used to prevent serious accidents.

In addition, an intelligent manufacturing solution that detects fermentation abnormalities in K-sauces and sauces, an autonomous rescue system that detects danger sounds in the Han River and dispatches rescue equipment, and an urban mining resource recovery system were also selected.

In this call for proposals, 1,604 applications were received for 246 projects, recording an average competition rate of 6.5 to 1.

Among the selected companies, 188 (82.1%) were small and medium-sized enterprises, 59 (25.8%) were companies established within the last 7 years, and 98 (42.8%) were companies located outside the metropolitan area.

Projects that adopted domestic AI models accounted for 41.3%, while those that adopted domestic AI semiconductors (NPU) accounted for 30.6%.

91.3% (209) of the selected projects are implemented by forming a consortium with demand companies that will adopt the product.

The government plans to investigate regulatory difficulties during the agreement process and link them with regulatory sandboxes, and also support sales channels such as overseas exhibitions and innovative procurement.

Minister of Planning and Budget Park Hong-keun &"The AX Sprint is a field-oriented financial project that accelerates the commercialization of AI products and services that can be used immediately in the market and on the ground," they stated. "Relevant ministries will provide full support regarding regulations, procurement, and sales channels to ensure that selected companies produce tangible results for the public within one to two years."