South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Artificial Intelligence Software Industry Association (KOSA) said on Feb. 2 they signed an 'AI full-stack cooperation MOU' between Aramco Digital and seven South Korean AI companies.

The agreement was signed on Feb. 1 at Aramco Digital's headquarters in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Aramco Digital is the digital unit of Saudi Aramco, the world's largest energy company, and is leading Saudi Arabia's AI transformation.

The cooperation goes beyond the overseas expansion of individual companies. It is a case of practical expansion in the form of a 'Korean-style AI full-stack' package that bundles AI semiconductors, models and infrastructure into one.

The South Korean AI consortium includes Rebellions and FuriosaAI for AI semiconductors, NCAI, Upstage and the LG AI Research Institute for industry-specific AI models, Uracle for large language model operations, and MegazoneCloud for cloud and AI infrastructure. Aramco Digital will identify areas for AI use across a broad range of industries within the group, including energy and manufacturing, and review specific ways to apply it.

The government plans to use this cooperation as a starting point to imprint the integrated competitiveness of South Korea's AI industry in the Middle East market with private companies. It also plans to use it as a standard model for overseas expansion and spread it further.

Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT Je-myung Ryu (류제명) said, "This cooperation will be a major turning point in proving the competitiveness of the Korean-style AI full stack in the global market and linking it to tangible export results." He added, "The public and private sectors will jointly support our companies so they can create more global success cases in emerging markets."