South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT has announced plans to launch a frontier artificial intelligence model research and development project worth 4.7 trillion Korean won (approximately 3.5 billion US dollars) starting in March 2027, aiming to secure a leading position in cutting-edge artificial intelligence.

The ministry stated that it intends to select a lead developer through a public bidding process after the National Assembly approves the 2027 budget in December, with the winning bidder potentially announced as early as February. The government plans to combine national equity investment with private funding and concentrate computing chips, data, and talent into the project, with the goal of developing models with leading performance.

The ministry said this initiative will be independent of its self-developed foundation model project. The latter will continue to advance, with the final two teams to be selected during the third-phase review in February 2027.

The ministry noted that various entities including single companies, consortia, or special purpose vehicles are all eligible to participate, adding that the move is intended to allow startups, companies, universities, and researchers to take the lead.