Gwangju is rapidly emerging as a hub for next-generation AI convergence industries, and Gwangju Metropolitan City is accelerating its efforts to take a leap forward as an ‘AI Convergence and Integration New Industry Hub’.

With the Gwangju Free Economic Zone as its foundation, the region is focusing on the AI convergence and integration industry, future automobile industry, and smart energy industry as its three major strategic axes, spurring the creation of a new industrial ecosystem based on AI.

This is in line with the history of Gwangju, which has steadily changed its industrial strategy in line with the changing times. In the 1960s, the city established an industrial base centered on the automobile industry, and in the 2000s, it grew into a cutting-edge industrial city by leading the photonic industry. Since 2018, Gwangju has been preparing for the era of the 4th industrial revolution by selecting AI as a future strategic industry.

Current Status of AI Convergence and Integration

The first phase of Gwangju's AI project, which began in 2020, focused on building a 'National AI Data Center'. The center officially launched its service on November 15, 2023, and has a total of 88.5 petaflops (PF) of operational resources and 107 petabytes (PB) of storage capacity, including 20PF of High-Performance Computing (HPC) based on NVIDIA H100 GPUs and 68.5PF of GPU cloud. In 2024, HPC services for developing large-scale AI models were also put into full operation. Through this, it provides infrastructure that enables learning, analysis, and utilization of massive data.

The ‘National AI Data Center’ is being utilized as a practical AI research infrastructure for AI companies, positioning Gwangju as an attractive destination for AI-related companies. The number of enterprises that have signed business agreements to create an AI ecosystem, including global companies such as ‘FURIOSA AI’, has increased to 299, with 158 of them opening offices and research centers in Gwangju.

Gwangju City aims to cluster more than 1,000 AI-related companies by 2029 and is steadily pushing forward to become a robust ecosystem for future growth engines.

Addressing the AI Talent shortage through a Comprehensive Development Policy

Efforts to secure AI experts are also being systematically carried out. Last July, Gwangju City began full-scale discussions on implementing the ‘2030 Talent Development Strategy’ in addition to the existing talent development policy such as the ‘AI Academy’.

This policy is a roadmap that aims to foster a total of 810,000 industrial technology talents who will lead the growth of regional strategic industries such as AI, digital, semiconductors, and cultural content by 2030, with the participation of 87 organizations including education, industry, and public institutions. It will help build a robust talent pipeline for the AI ecosystem.

Recently, in the semiconductor industry, ‘AsicLand’ and ‘AimFuture’ announced plans to hire talents from Gwangju, and ‘ESTsoft’ is also promoting AI and digital talent development with Gwangju City.

A Bigger Leap, Gwangju, a Demonstration City Platform

Gwangju has attracted a 3.3km2 ‘Future Vehicle National Industrial Complex’ in addition to the ‘Future Automotive Industry Complex’ in the existing Bitgreen National Industrial Complex designated as the Free Economic Zone.

This is aimed at building a specialized cluster for materials, parts, and equipment (so-called ‘SoBuJang’) for future vehicles, and when the nearby ‘Jingok Industrial Complex’ is built as an autonomous car parts development and production complex and the ‘Bitgreen National Industrial Complex’ is built as an autonomous car parts certification demonstration complex—forming a vast ‘Future Vehicle Triangle Belt’ spanning 7.3 km2.

As various mobility and urban technologies such as autonomous watercraft, smart bus systems, and water quality robots are being verified, Gwangju is solidifying its status as a ‘leading city for future mobility.’

As the entire city was built into a demonstration-based industrial ecosystem, technologies were demonstrated and data analyzed on-site according to corporate needs. The fact that the demonstration space has expanded to 36 locations in 2023 and 45 locations in 2024 proves that Gwangju is swiftly adapting its infrastructure to meet corporate demands.

In the future, we will pay attention to Gwangju's unique differentiation through demonstration strategies such as expansion of demonstration spaces, post-distribution commercialization performance, and sustainability of investment attraction.

Strategy for New Energy-Related Industries

The Gwangju Free Economic Zone Smart Energy Industry Complex I and II are attracting attention as core districts representing new energy convergence industries such as energy ICT convergence-based smart grids and industrial convergence clusters.

The district is home to key R&D institutions, including the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) and the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI). With core infrastructure such as the Energy Industry Convergence Complex Support Center, it is evolving into an ideal hub for energy convergence—linking R&D with industry and advancing test bed-based commercialization of new technologies.

In the future, we will go beyond simple industrial clusters and build a next-generation energy management system that combines AI and distributed power technology. Through the Local Production and Local Consumption Strategy, we will realize a local energy circulation structure and link it with the national strategy to become a leading model city for realizing the RE100 era.

Aiming to Become Korea's AI Silicon Valley

Gwangju supports startups at every stage of their journey with the goal of making Gwangju a 'dream city where AI business is possible with just a backpack'.

We started the 'Gwangju AI Startup Camp' in 2020 and have been producing new talents every year, and we have established a solid startup ecosystem by establishing the 'Gwangju AI Investment Fund' worth USD 80 million. From education and mentoring in the pre-startup stage to consulting in the early stages of startups, we provide stable support through verification, product sophistication, as well as domestic and international marketing support.

Gwangju is fully equipped to serve as a reliable partner for investment in the growing stage of companies. Our commitment is to help new business ventures flourish and thrive in the Gwangju Free Economic Zone, the heart of Korea’s next-generation AI convergence industry.