President Lee Jae Myung has called for accelerated implementation of South Korea's AI investment initiative, emphasizing deregulation and administrative efficiency. The plan includes a significant semiconductor production cluster and AI data centers, with major chipmakers pledging substantial investments.
The initiative aims to bolster South Korea's position in the global AI and semiconductor industries by fostering significant investment and developing regional economic hubs, potentially driving future economic growth and technological advancement.
President Lee Jae Myung has called for the earliest possible implementation of South Korea's large-scale investment initiative for artificial intelligence (AI)-related facilities, emphasizing the need for deregulation and efficient administrative processes. The president presided over a meeting to assess the progress of the "three megaprojects," which include plans for a semiconductor production cluster, physical AI infrastructure, and AI data centers in regional areas.
Under the semiconductor cluster project alone, Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc. have committed to investing a combined 800 trillion won (US$564.9 billion). This marks the largest investment plan to date for the southwestern Gwangju and surrounding Honam region. President Lee stressed that all necessary administrative steps should be pursued simultaneously and regulations improved to ensure rapid execution.
Lee instructed officials to transfer the functions of a military airport in Gwangju to temporary facilities by 2028 to expedite the transformation of the regional airport into a semiconductor production hub. The government has designated this site for the envisioned chip cluster. The president's ultimate goal for the initiative is to distribute growth drivers across the country and establish regional areas as new centers for future industries, ensuring benefits are shared broadly.