The South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with American company AMD to collaborate in the fields of AI semiconductors and computing. The ministry announced on July 27 that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Baek Kyung-hun met with AMD Chair and CEO Lisa Su on July 23 in San Francisco during the 'AMD Advancing AI 2026' event to formalize the agreement.
This MoU aims to establish a heterogeneous AI computing infrastructure that integrates AMD's CPU and GPU technologies with domestically produced AI semiconductors (NPU), while expanding the global collaboration framework for South Korea's AI semiconductor ecosystem.
The two parties will initially focus on building and demonstrating the heterogeneous AI computing infrastructure that links AMD's CPU and GPU with domestic NPUs. They also plan to create an open AI computing ecosystem that includes not only AI semiconductor companies but also domestic firms involved in memory, DPU, CXL, networking, servers, and orchestration software. This initiative aims to secure practical benchmark models that will enable domestic AI semiconductors to participate in the global AI computing supply chain.
Additionally, the two sides will promote research collaboration under the 'AI for Science' initiative, centered around the National AI Research Center (NAIS). AMD plans to provide high-performance computing resources, AI software, and specialized personnel to support AI-based research and challenging R&D in advanced scientific fields.
AMD is also working to establish a center of excellence for AI in South Korea. This center will serve as a collaborative hub, supporting technology cooperation among domestic companies, universities, and research institutions, as well as facilitating AI semiconductor software development, computing technology validation, and joint research.
Collaboration on talent development will also take place. AMD intends to support educational and research programs based on AI computing platforms at major universities and graduate schools in South Korea, providing opportunities for local students, professors, and researchers to experience the latest AI technologies and global development environments. Furthermore, joint research and technological collaboration in next-generation AI fields, such as physical AI, will be pursued.
This collaboration was initiated during Lisa Su's visit to South Korea in March and has evolved into practical cooperation projects in AI computing infrastructure, AI research, and talent development, culminating in the MoU signing, which was hosted at Su's invitation.
Baek Kyung-hun stated, "Global AI competition is shifting towards heterogeneous computing and open ecosystems that combine various computational resources such as CPU, GPU, and NPU. To elevate South Korea to a leading AI nation, it is crucial to secure a self-reliant yet open AI computing infrastructure."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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