KT Corp., SK Telecom Co. and AI startup Upstage have advanced to the next stage of a government-backed project to develop an artificial intelligence service that anyone can use free of charge, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced Tuesday.

The two telecommunications carriers and Upstage — which has developed its own foundation model called Solar — moved forward from a group of four finalists, according to a ministry press release. Motif Technologies ranked last in the second-round evaluation, which combined benchmark tests with assessments by experts and users, and was eliminated.

The ministry's "AI for All" project is part of the government's effort to build what it calls an "AI basic society," in which people can access AI services regardless of their income, age or level of digital literacy. The initiative also reflects Seoul's broader push to strengthen domestic AI capabilities by requiring participating developers to rely heavily on South Korean models, while still leaving room for cross-use among local providers.

The government plans to provide up to 512 Nvidia B200 graphics processing units to the two or three companies selected for the project. Those companies are expected to launch their AI services within this year.

Starting in 2027, the government plans to provide budgetary support to cover the costs of operating the AI models nationwide, giving the project a longer-term funding framework beyond the initial rollout phase.

Developers will be required to use South Korean AI models that meet the ministry's independent standards for foundation models for at least 50 percent of their systems. To diversify the local AI ecosystem, companies with their own foundation models will also be required to use AI models developed by other South Korean companies for more than 30 percent of their systems. (Yonhap)

Source: Korea Herald Business