South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT said on March 9 it will support research and development to localise a core SoC (System on Chip) component that serves as the 'brain' of artificial intelligence (AI) CCTV, together with the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation.

An SoC is a semiconductor that integrates key functions such as video processing, compression, communications and AI computing into a single chip by combining processors, memory and sensors. It is considered a key component that determines CCTV performance.

The ministry has supported development of SoC chips to secure a domestic supply chain in the global system semiconductor market dominated by large companies in the United States, China and Taiwan. Development of first- and second-generation chips also led to results such as domestic distribution of commercial finished products and localisation of the entire design and manufacturing process.

The ministry planned a new SoC development project reflecting the latest technology development trends such as high-performance video processing technology and built-in security. It will invest a total of 4.5 billion won from this year through 2029 to support in-house real-time high-performance video processing, built-in security such as SBOM, the national cryptographic system and post-quantum cryptography (PQC), and planning for real-environment validation and technology commercialisation.

The ministry said, "This R&D support is expected to strengthen self-reliance in key components for the domestic on-device AI video security field." It also expects a spillover benefit for domestic companies as the U.S. excludes the introduction of certain countries' CCTV under the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act implemented due to security concerns such as hacking.

Lim Jeong-gyu (임정규), director general for information security and network policy at the ministry, said, "The physical security industry is expected to continue expanding in market size and exports." He added, "We will actively support our companies so they can target the global market with a solid supply chain by localising semiconductor chips, a key component that determines AI CCTV performance."