[Edaily Han Kwangbeom Reporter Shin Young-bin] Ahead of the official launch of the “AI for All” project—a free AI service for all citizens—the government has unexpectedly allocated a budget of 250 billion won for next year. In addition to the budget for leasing 2,000 NVIDIA B200 GPUs, the government will provide each consortium with 10 billion won in direct operating funds. The service will begin with a beta launch in October and officially launch by the end of the year.

The Ministry of Science and ICT, along with the consortia SKTelecom(017670), Kakao(035720), and KTCorporation(030200), held a kickoff briefing at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on the 4th to announce detailed support plans and a blueprint for service development.

Next year’s “AI for All” budget of 250 billion won will be allocated to infrastructure leasing, direct support, and ecosystem expansion. Approximately 170 billion won will be set aside to lease about 2,000 NVIDIA “B200” GPUs, providing the necessary computing resources to the three consortia. A total of 30 billion won will be provided directly to the consortia, with 10 billion won allocated to each of the three consortia to cover system development and collaboration costs with individual companies. The remaining 50 billion won will serve as a shared fund to integrate and expand specialized agents developed externally onto the three platforms.

Kim Kyung-man, Director General of the AI Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, explained, “GPU support is highly likely to be reallocated starting next March based on actual service usage and activity levels,” adding, “It is a structure where consortia with a large number of subscribers and high activity levels receive more resources.”

The government will first provide 512 B200 GPUs this year and, after completing security verification in collaboration with the Personal Information Protection Commission, the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), and the AI Safety Research Institute, will launch a closed beta service in October. By December, the official launch date, each consortium has set a target of reaching 5 million monthly active users (MAU).

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon stated, “If we fail to create a clear point of differentiation from foreign AI services, ‘AI for All’ will be a failure,” and urged, “Please join forces so that we can launch a service in December that will impress the public.”

◇Three Companies Present Specialized Roadmaps… Accelerating NPU Localization and Public Sector Integration

The CEOs of the three lead companies emphasized strategies to differentiate themselves from foreign AI and to build “sovereign AI.” Jeong Jae-heon, CEO of SKTelecom, stated, “We have a clear advantage in learning the Korean language and domestic lifestyle habits,” adding, “With AI having become a strategic national asset, securing infrastructure and sovereign AI is urgent if we are to reduce dependence on foreign products and respond to issues such as rate hikes.” SKTelecom plans to reach even vulnerable groups unfamiliar with app usage by promoting “action-oriented AI” based on phone calls and text messages.

Jeong Shin-ah, CEO of Kakao, revealed the “One Person, N Agents” concept—where multiple specialized agents collaborate to serve a single person—stating, “Through our messenger used by 49 million people and the U+ Voice channel, we will enable users to make reservations, submit applications, and complete payments without requiring a separate installation.” Park Yoon-young, CEO of KTCorporation, emphasized, “We will complete ‘Problem-Solving AI,’ which tackles real-world tasks, and ‘AI Last Mile,’ which extends to offline touchpoints.” They will introduce the “Ieum” service, which combines real-time search data from the “Daum” portal with databases from vertical partners, as well as the multi-model optimization platform “Token Factory.”

The government has decided to actively support the integration of public data APIs through consultations with relevant ministries, such as the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, while simultaneously revitalizing the domestic AI semiconductor (NPU) ecosystem. Baek Jun-ho, CEO of FuriosaAI, stated, “We will do our utmost to ensure that 70–80% of the tokens generated by ‘AI for All’ are produced by domestic AI semiconductors at an economical cost.”

Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said, “‘AI for All’ will foster collaboration under a single brand rather than inducing competition among consortia. The core objective is to take South Korea’s fundamental AI capabilities—including proprietary foundation models, NPUs, and agent technologies—to the next level.”

He added, “While there is talk within government ministries about the need to tolerate failure, ‘AI for All’ is a project we are determined to make a success. Let’s work together—citizens, businesses, and the government—to reap the rewards for the future of South Korea.”