The ground has been broken for the 'AI Cluster,' which will establish itself as a core hub for Korea's artificial intelligence (AI) equipped with a world-class data center featuring 88.5 petaflops (PF) of GPU-based processing power and 107 petabytes (PB) of storage capacity.

Gwangju Metropolitan City and the Artificial Intelligence Industry Convergence Business Group held a groundbreaking ceremony for the 'National Artificial Intelligence Cluster' on the 22nd at the site of the AI Cluster in Advanced Technology District 3, Gwangju Metropolitan City.

The cluster is a project that creates an artificial intelligence ecosystem where infrastructure such as data centers, companies, and talent necessary for artificial intelligence are concentrated, with a large-scale budget of 393.9 billion won invested over five years from 2020 to 2024 as part of the 'National Balanced Development Project (2019)'.

The integrated complex facilities will be located in Section 1 of the Advanced Technology Zone 3 in Gwangju Metropolitan City, covering an area of 47,256㎡. It will consist of a total of three buildings, including a demonstration building and a startup building with one basement level and seven floors above ground, and a data center with two floors above ground, and is scheduled for completion in 2023.

The AI data center, a core infrastructure of the integrated complex, will have a GPU-based processing capacity of 88.5 PF and a storage capacity of 107 PB. It is planned to be established as a hub for creating world-class technology and innovative services, including not only the collection and accumulation of large-scale data but also the provision of various development tools and AI semiconductor testing environments.

In accordance with the 'Direction for Promoting Regional Diffusion of Artificial Intelligence' announced at the 25th 4th Industrial Revolution Committee last month, the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to continuously develop Gwangju into a 'state-of-the-art national AI innovation hub' through the second phase of the project, which will be carried out from 2025 to 2029.

Moving forward, Gwangju City plans to take the lead in planning and implementing a large-scale pilot project to continuously expand national digital infrastructure, such as data centers and demonstration environments, and to integrate the large-scale data built in the Data Dam with an internet-based cloud development environment. This initiative aims to transform the city into a one-stop development hub where companies and researchers nationwide can develop innovative AI products and services.

Minister Lim Hye-sook stated, “Through innovative challenges toward becoming a hub for artificial intelligence, Gwangju will develop into a world-class AI innovation city that creates new industries and jobs for the post-COVID era,” adding, “We will actively support the Gwangju AI Cluster so that it can leap forward as a core national AI hub for the Republic of Korea.”