The Institute for Information and Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation (IITP) is accelerating the development of key technologies such as semiconductors, Physical AI, sixth-generation mobile communications (6G), and military AI in response to the advent of the AI 2.0 era. This year, the agency plans to invest 1.3 trillion won in AI and information and communications technology (ICT) research and development (R&D) to establish a full-stack technology ecosystem aimed at enhancing national AI sovereignty.
At the '2026 Performance Media Day' held on June 17 in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Hong Jin-bae, Director of IITP, stated, "In the AX 2.0 era, there is a full-stack competition that connects semiconductors, networks, security, Physical AI, and talent. Securing core sovereign technologies is of utmost importance."
Hong differentiated between AI transformation (AX) 1.0 and 2.0. He explained that while AX 1.0 focused on generative AI as an intellectual assistance tool, AX 2.0 enables actual actions and decision-making through agentic AI and Physical AI. He emphasized, "AX 2.0 will bring about a productivity revolution, and it is crucial to secure competitiveness across entire industries rather than just individual models."
On this day, IITP also introduced its major R&D achievements. In the AI semiconductor sector, since 2019, the agency has been planning projects related to neural processing units (NPUs) and has been promoting next-generation intelligent semiconductor initiatives since 2020, resulting in the growth of domestic AI semiconductor companies such as Rebellion, FuriosaAI, DeepX, and Mobilint.
Hong noted, "Through proactive R&D investments, we have laid the groundwork for domestic AI semiconductor companies to grow, securing competitiveness to respond to the inference-centered AI era."
In the Physical AI field, he highlighted the importance of securing world models. He stated, "There are limitations to building services on others' models without a world model. It is necessary to secure independent Physical AI foundation models and core technologies."
In the telecommunications sector, IITP presented achievements in Open RAN and 5G equipment. The agency plans to respond to early commercialization of 6G through events such as the '2026 6G Vision Fest' scheduled for December. Hong remarked, "The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will be a turning point for early commercialization, and Korea must secure relevant technological competitiveness."
In the security sector, IITP showcased achievements in AI-based attack response technologies, zero trust, supply chain security, homomorphic encryption, and quantum-resistant encryption. He particularly praised the homomorphic encryption technology from Cryptolab, stating, "We have secured world-class competitiveness, significantly increasing the potential for commercialization."
In terms of talent development, IITP is simultaneously expanding the base of AI and ICT talent while nurturing advanced professionals. This year, the agency plans to select 10 AI-centered universities and 10 AX graduate schools to address the shortage of core AI talent. Additionally, IITP is working to enhance global AI talent competitiveness through initiatives like the Information and Communications Technology Research Center (ITRC) and the AI Early Career Researcher Program.
Furthermore, plans were unveiled to establish military AI data hubs to create a military AI ecosystem. Hong stated, "Military data is difficult to access, making it challenging for AI companies to utilize. We plan to establish AI learning and demonstration hubs using military data in five regions: Yongsan, Yangjae, Pangyo, Daejeon, and Busan."
He added, "Applying AI, communication, and security technologies developed in the private sector to the defense field can significantly reduce time and costs, laying the foundation for the growth of defense AI companies and nurturing firms like 'K-Palantir.'"
* This article has been translated by AI.
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