Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, expressed her commitment to advancing domestic AI semiconductors and software in collaboration with local companies and the government. During a meeting with Ryu Je-myung, the Deputy Minister of Science and ICT, on October 7 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, Su outlined plans to integrate domestic neural processing units (NPU) with AMD's CPUs and GPUs to develop a Sovereign AI infrastructure.
Su highlighted the importance of collaboration among representatives from accelerator, network, system, and software companies present at the meeting. She proposed that by filling the gap in CPUs and training GPUs through an open ecosystem with AMD, they could create significant synergies.
Lee Do-kyu, head of the Ministry of Science and ICT's Information and Communication Policy Bureau, noted that this discussion aligns with government initiatives. The ministry plans to launch a large-scale reference project next year centered on domestic NPUs, which will also include CPUs and GPUs, corresponding to the Sovereign AI infrastructure.
Lee explained that the domestic NPU's current supply model limits its international expansion, emphasizing the need for full-stack validation in real-world applications. The project will select multiple consortiums through a public offering next year, with the expectation that the chosen consortiums will produce references.
In a subsequent open discussion following the meeting with Deputy Minister Ryu, Su addressed specific questions from local companies. She acknowledged that as inference workloads diversify, various types of chips will be necessary. Responding to inquiries about AMD's philosophy, she stated that the company aims to allow users to easily utilize any desired hardware, whether it be GPUs or accelerators.
Regarding the increasing computational demands from the rise of agent AI, Su confirmed that AMD will support its entire product line, including data center GPUs, PC chips, and CPUs, to optimize integration.
In response to requests for establishing a joint research center in Korea, Su announced plans to set up a Center of Excellence (CoE) involving hundreds of engineers. She expressed readiness to discuss the rapid implementation of AMD's latest systems in modular data centers.
The establishment of the AMD AI Research Center (CoE) is currently under discussion, with a goal for completion by the end of the year. The operational committee will meet next week to determine the center's location, while AMD will invest in hardware.
Addressing requests for support in physical AI strategies, Su emphasized that this will be a crucial area over the next three to five years, aiming to provide reference designs that encompass both hardware and solutions for easier customer utilization.
Su remarked, "Korea is an important partner for AMD," and expressed her commitment to creating new collaboration opportunities with outstanding domestic companies as Korea enhances its competitiveness in the AI sector.
Deputy Minister Ryu expressed hope that the combination of AMD's global capabilities and local technological strengths will lead to the development of new AI technologies and businesses, further advancing the domestic AI semiconductor ecosystem.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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