A call has been made for the telecommunications industry to actively invest in key infrastructure such as graphics processing units (GPUs), neural processing units (NPUs) and AI data centres to make South Korea one of the world’s top three AI powers.

The Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA) on June 18 held the 10th AI Future Value Forum at the KTOA building in Seoul’s Gangnam district under the theme, “Progress on the AI Action Plan and the Roadmap Ahead.”

The AI Future Value Forum is an industry-academia-research consultative body in which experts from telecom operators, academia, the legal community and research institutions discuss the development of South Korea’s AI ecosystem and directions for improving policies and systems.

The forum shared progress and future strategies for the “AI Action Plan” announced in February by the National AI Strategy Committee and discussed its impact on the telecommunications industry and response directions.

Kim Sang-jin (김상진), director general for policy planning at the National AI Strategy Committee, presented the government’s achievements in implementing the AI action plan and a future roadmap under the theme “The Journey Toward Becoming One of the Top Three AI Powers.”

Kim said active investment by telecom companies is needed to expand core AI computing infrastructure such as GPUs and NPUs and to build a sustainable AI data centre ecosystem.

He stressed that the government will build AI infrastructure equipped with computing, data and security while also overhauling regulations on the use of personal information and data from undisclosed industries to create an AI-friendly regulatory environment where data can flow freely.

In a plenary discussion moderated by Lee Seong-yeop (이성엽), a professor at Korea University’s Graduate School of Management of Technology, participants discussed the impact of the government’s action plan on the telecom industry and the role of telecom operators. Participants agreed on the need for telecom operators’ roles in AI convergence across industries and in the process of advancing infrastructure, as well as the need for regulatory improvements and legal foundations that can promote related investment.

Lee said that for the government’s AI action plan to lead to tangible industrial results, regulatory uncertainty must be resolved and a legal and institutional environment must be created to support a national AI transformation. He added that public-private governance must be closely operated in line with the pace of technological innovation.