The government will invest a record 2.08 trillion won in ICT research and development next year. It will concentrate 662.1 billion won on three mega projects including physical AI, AI semiconductors and AI data centres. It will also introduce an AI agent dedicated to research administration for the first time.

The Ministry of Science and ICT on Tuesday held an overall workshop of the "2027 ICT R&D New Task Planning Committee" at Royal Park Convention in Seoul's Yongsan district.

The government's proposed 2027 ICT R&D budget rose 396.9 billion won, or 23.6 percent, from this year to a record 2.08 trillion won. The ministry set up an overall workshop for the first time this year, with the Institute for Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP), industry, academia and research experts, and private-sector experts (PMs) taking part, to expand performance linkages and usability from the project-planning stage.

662.1 billion won for physical AI, AI semiconductors and AI data centres

Next year's ICT R&D focuses on five areas: AI and ICT technology development in strategic areas including the three mega projects; next-generation core AI technology and safety and trust technology; expansion of regional AI transformation (AX); future technologies such as quantum and 6G and an AI highway; and nurturing key AI and ICT talent.

A total of 662.1 billion won will go into the three mega projects including physical AI, AI semiconductors and AI data centres. The government will invest 384.9 billion won in physical AI to secure key technologies such as world models, general-purpose foundation models and AI accelerators, and pursue links with key industries including autos, construction and manufacturing.

It will invest 161.7 billion won in AI semiconductors. It will develop core technologies for high-performance, low-power AI semiconductors to respond to rising demand for AI inference, and secure integrated hardware-software technologies specialised for demand sites such as on-device and data centres. For AI data centres, it will newly invest 115.5 billion won to develop key technologies including servers, memory, storage and networks, and to build a basis for demonstration and commercialisation.

431.1 billion won for core AI and security; 334.5 billion won for regional AX

A total of 431.1 billion won will go into next-generation core AI technologies and cybersecurity. It included 262.0 billion won for next-generation core AI technologies for human-level cognition, judgement and reasoning, and development of data and time-series foundation models, and 169.1 billion won for technologies to respond to security threats from the spread of AI. It will invest 334.5 billion won in regional AI transformation (AX). Centering on four major regions including North Jeolla, South Gyeongsang, Gwangju and Daegu, it will pursue technology development and demonstration linking AI with regional key industries such as autos and manufacturing, energy, bio and logistics.

A total of 338.9 billion won was allocated to quantum and next-generation communications. It will invest 107.3 billion won in the quantum field to advance quantum communications and sensing technologies and support industrial applications. It will also invest 231.6 billion won in next-generation communications to develop integrated satellite-terrestrial 6G and AI-based spectrum supply and protection technologies. It aims to secure base station-computing convergence and optical communications technologies and build the foundation for an "AI highway" that connects AI computing and networks.

It will invest 354.4 billion won in nurturing key AI and ICT talent and global research cooperation. It will train master's and doctoral-level talent through AI and AX graduate schools and expand joint research with overseas researchers and institutions and the establishment of global research hubs.

The ministry will identify candidates for new tasks from this month through nine IITP PMs, 25 subcommittees by technology field and about 350 planning committee members. It will finalise new tasks for 2027 by the end of the year after public hearings and other steps.

Applying AI agents to research administration, expansion to workplaces in 2027

The ministry and IITP will also introduce an "AI agent dedicated to research administration" to reduce complex research administration tasks. When planning new projects or research tasks, the research administration AI agent will investigate domestic and overseas policy and technology trends and review planning content, and during the task evaluation process it will support analysis of documents submitted by applicant institutions.

It will also introduce an HWP-specialised AI agent tailored to the domestic administrative environment. The AI will analyse the structure and formatting of HWP documents to support document creation, editing and review. It will be built on an on-premises basis so research tasks and researchers' personal information are not leaked, allowing AI functions to be used without sending information to external commercial AI services.

After IITP verifies the technology this year, the research administration AI agent will be rolled out to research-performing institutions from 2027. It will support repetitive research administration tasks including drafting research and development plans, reviewing task application documents, and changing research plans and participating researchers.

Lee Do-gyu (이도규), director-general for information and communications policy at the ministry, said, "As the government's ICT R&D budget proposal has entered the 2 trillion won era, we will strengthen substance from the planning stage so finances are invested in the right place at the right time in national core strategic technologies, including the three mega projects."