'AI for All': South Korea Puts GPUs and Public Money Behind a Homegrown Alternative to US Models

The Ministry of Science and ICT has formally launched '모두의 AI' (AI for All). Applications remain open until 11 August; the Korean tech press expects bids from NAVER, Kakao, SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus together with LG AI Research, and MSIT estimates around ten applications. Computing power comes directly from the state, which is providing 512 Nvidia B200 GPUs to be shared among the two or three operators selected by September. According to local specialist outlets, the indicative timeline calls for a public testing phase in late September and a nationwide rollout by December 2026.

The call imposes specific constraints on the technology mix: at least 50% of the models must meet the standards for independent Korean foundation models, while at least 30% must come from other Korean companies, different from the selected operator. State funding will cover GPU and service operating costs from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2030, although the total budget and the share of co-financing borne by private companies have not yet been disclosed, as reported by AI타임스 and The Elec.

The initiative lands in a country where generative AI is already deeply embedded: according to Wiseapp-Retail figures cited by AFP, in February 2026 roughly half of the 51 million residents were using generative AI apps and nearly 23 million were using OpenAI's ChatGPT. In parallel, the revised AI Basic Act took full effect on 21 July; its implementing decree broadens the preference for domestic AI products in public procurement and requires operators to draw up and keep for five years a document on safety and reliability. Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said that to persuade users to give up the foreign AI services they already pay for, 'we need to offer even better services', with AI agents for managing public and personal services to follow from 2027.

Doubts remain over whether 512 GPUs can carry nationwide traffic with no usage caps, and over exactly which features will stay free rather than paid. Seoul's strategy proposes a model of digital sovereignty built not only on regulation but on directly creating a public offering, breaking with Europe's largely regulatory approach.

— Olya