• South Korea plans to secure 10,000 GPUs in 2025 to strengthen its national AI computing center amid global AI competition.
  • The South Korean government will finalize details on the budget, GPU models, and private sector involvement by September.

South Korea has announced plans to acquire 10,000 high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs) this year as it accelerates efforts to compete in the global AI race.

The initiative aims to bolster the country’s national AI computing center, ensuring it remains competitive in an industry increasingly defined by national innovation ecosystems.

"As competition for dominance in the AI industry intensifies, the competitive landscape is shifting from battles between companies to a full-scale rivalry between national innovation ecosystems," South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok stated.

The country is pushing to launch services at its AI computing center ahead of schedule.

The move comes amid new U.S. regulations restricting the export of AI chips and technology necessary for advanced AI applications.

These rules categorize countries into tiers, with South Korea among the 18 nations exempt from restrictions. Meanwhile, 120 other countries will face limitations, and nations like China, Russia, and Iran are entirely barred.

The South Korean government has yet to finalize key details regarding the GPU acquisition, including budget, specific models, and the involvement of private companies.

These decisions are expected to be made by September, according to an official from the Ministry of Science and ICT.

U.S. chip giant Nvidia currently dominates the global GPU market, holding an estimated 80% share, far ahead of competitors Intel and AMD.

However, Microsoft-backed OpenAI is taking steps to reduce its dependence on Nvidia by developing its own AI chips.

Reuters recently reported that OpenAI is finalizing the design of its first in-house chip and plans to send it for fabrication at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

Meanwhile, the emergence of Chinese startup DeepSeek is reshaping the AI race, focusing on optimizing computational efficiency rather than relying solely on raw processing power.

This strategy could help close the gap between Chinese AI chips and their more powerful U.S. counterparts.

Edited By Annette George