Seoul Seocho-gu announced on the 20th that it signed an “agreement for mutual AI development” with Amazon Web Services Korea.
This agreement aims to support AI startups within the Yangjae and Umyeon-dong AI special district in efficiently utilizing high-performance cloud resources and to establish a foundation for long-term collaboration.
Since the area was designated as the nation’s first AI special district in November last year, Seocho-gu has been striving to secure high-performance computing infrastructure to energize the AI industry ecosystem. This agreement was concluded to expand infrastructure support through cooperation with private cloud companies.
Amazon Web Services, a segment of Amazon.com, holds the largest market share in the global cloud market, and many domestic companies utilize this platform.
Under this agreement, companies participating in the “High-Performance Computing Infrastructure Support Project” operated by Seocho-gu will receive separate benefits when using Amazon Web Services. Companies can reduce costs when using cloud services, allowing them to focus on technology development in a supportive environment.
The “High-Performance Computing Infrastructure Support Project” targets 14 AI R&D companies located in Yangjae and Umyeon-dong. It supports cloud-based resources worth 220 million won in total, and companies can freely choose major platforms such as NCP, Azure, and KT Cloud in addition to Amazon Web Services.
The support scope includes not only computing resources but also operation management, security consulting, maintenance, and trouble response. Seocho-gu plans to provide a stable research and development environment for early-stage and small to medium-sized AI companies through this project and establish a base for creating an industrial cluster.
Seocho-gu is pursuing the “Infrastructure Building, Investment, and Talent Cultivation” three-master plan as a strategy for city development centering around the AI special district. By June, an Excellence Enterprise Center will be completed, and a startup fund worth 30 billion won is also being operated. This fund is planned to grow to 110 billion won over the next five years.
Jeon Seong-soo, the mayor of Seocho-gu, stated, “This agreement is meaningful for creating a foundation where outstanding talents can grow stably.”