The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), headed by Acting Minister and First Vice Minister Roh Yong-Seok, announced on September 17 that the Gyeongnam Manufacturing AI Center has opened to help local manufacturers adopt and use artificial intelligence.
 
Around 100 representatives from MSS, the Gyeongsangnam-do provincial government, the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, Gyeongnam Technopark, partner organizations and businesses attended the opening ceremony in Changwon.
 
Participants reviewed examples of AI solutions tested in factories, discussed the center’s operating plans and explored ways to help more manufacturers across the province benefit from the technology.
 
Shared Computing Resources and Technical Support
 
The center was established through an MSS program that gives provincial and metropolitan governments flexibility to design AI adoption initiatives around local industries and business needs. The central government funds these initiatives for two years to help regional SMEs adopt AI.
 
Gyeongsangnam-do is focusing on manufacturing applications in key industries, including aerospace, defense and machinery. The center is the province’s first public facility dedicated to supporting AI adoption in manufacturing.
 
Equipped with 40 high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs) and 15 workstations, it gives local manufacturing SMEs shared access to the computing power and development tools they need to build and run AI models and test solutions.
 
The center will also connect manufacturers with AI companies to develop and test solutions suited to their production processes, including tools to improve quality control and production efficiency.
 
Affordable Access for Local Manufacturers
 
Local businesses can use the center’s computing facilities free of charge through the end of 2026. From 2027, the center will charge less than private AI centers and aims to support AI adoption at approximately 300 companies a year.
 
Manufacturers, AI companies and innovation organizations have formed a regional partnership to support these efforts. Together, they will help businesses across Gyeongnam’s key industries and wider manufacturing sector adopt AI applications proven to work in factories.
 
“We hope the center will help manufacturing SMEs that have held back from adopting AI because of the cost gain access to the technology they need,” said Hwang Young-Ho, Director General for Technology Innovation Policy at MSS. “MSS will continue to support testing and commercialization using high-performance computing infrastructure and help more manufacturers put AI to practical use.”
 

For more news and updates on Korea’s SME and startup policies, follow the Ministry’s official LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mss1357