GWANGJU < invest Korea

According to Yonhap News,

On November 24th, Gwangju-si announced that it's been working on the future strategic projects, including the creation of the 'AX (AI Transformation) Demonstration Valley' to drive the practical growth of the AI industry and the establishment of the national 'NPU (Neural Processing Unit) Computing Center.'

Over the past five years, the city has built the 'Gwangju-type AI ecosystem through the 'AI-centered City Gwangju Project,' a comprehensive support system that fosters business attraction, infrastructure development, and talent cultivation.

Specifically, the city has achieved significant results in the AI industry, including: ▲ Attracting over 160 companies ▲ 24 awards for local companies at the CES Innovation Awards, ▲ Establishing the national AI data center, demonstration labs, startup, and educational foundations. These achievements have led the transformation of the region's industrial structure.

Building on this success, Gwangju plans to complete the first phase of its AI cluster and, follwed by the creation of the 'AX Demonstration Valley' by investing approximately KRW 600 billion over five years from 2026.

This project focuses on integrating AI into regional strategic industries, such as mobility and energy, and spreading AI services so that citizens can experience in their daily lives.

The city aims to establish the 'AI InnoSpace' for AI technology verification, commercialization, and mass adoption, with a goal of attracting 1,000 AI convergence companies and creating over 6,000 jobs. The government has waived the preliminary feasibility study to accelerate the project's implementation.

Additionally, Gwangju-si is pushing forward with projects to establish a national NPU computing center, designate an AI regulation-free demonstration city, and attract national AI research institutes, with the aim of establishing a core hub based on AI semiconductor.

NPU is a next-generation semiconductor that is 10 to 100 times more efficient than GPUs in AI inference, and Gwangju is working to develop an AI semiconductor ecosystem and computing infrastructure hub based on NPU.

The city is also in discussions with the central government about attracting national AI research institutes as a key location for strengthening AI technology verification and enhancing connections between businesses, research institutions, and industries.

An official from Gwangju-si said, "Gwangju's AI industry has moved beyond the vision stage and entered a phase of practical growth, with business expansion and job creation. By combining tailored support systems for businesses with advanced infrastructure, Gwangju will establish itself as a hub for AI industry in Korea and a global technology hub."

pch80@yna.co.kr

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Source: Yonhap News (November 24, 2025)