Six companies, including SKT and KT, join the nationwide free 'AI for All' project... Vendor selection expected by end of this month

*This content was translated by AI.

Three major mobile carriers and Kakao have applied to participate in the 'AI for All' project, which provides free AI services to the public using domestically developed artificial intelligence (AI) models.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 18th that a total of six business consortia proposals were submitted for the 'AI for All' project participation call. The government aims to select participating businesses by the end of this month, launch beta services by the end of September, and begin official services in December.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, as of 5 p.m. on that day when applications closed, six companies—SK Telecom, KT, Kakao, iZentsoft, MKD, and Xenon—formed consortia each to participate in the 'AI for All' project.

The 'AI for All' project is an initiative led by private companies with experience in developing public services, providing AI services tailored to citizens' needs free of charge to all Koreans. Unlike global AI companies that encourage paid subscriptions after a certain usage limit, this project allows users to access essential AI functions without any usage restrictions.

Selected companies must utilize domestically developed AI models meeting the criteria for independent AI foundation models (Indepa-mo) at a rate of 50% or more. Additionally, they must incorporate other domestic AI models from third-party service providers at a minimum of 30%. If foreign AI models are necessary for service operations, their use will be permitted on a limited basis, but such usage will not be covered by government support.

Naver Cloud and Naver, previously considered strong candidates, ultimately decided not to participate in the 'AI for All' project. Naver Cloud explained that it chose not to join in order to focus on other ongoing projects.

Kakao, which initially expressed interest in participating during the early stages of the business call, formed a consortium including major LG Group affiliates such as LG AI Research, LG Uplus, LG Electronics, and LG CNS. In addition to LG affiliates, the consortium includes Dayone Company, Lunit, Seoul National University Hospital, Shinhan Bank, Wondersphere Limited Liability Company, Wonderful Platform, Jarvis & Villains, Kakao Enterprise, CrowdWorks, Furiorea AI, and others.

SK Telecom will participate in the project featuring its 'A.D.X K2' model, which passed the second-stage evaluation of the Indepa-mo project. The SKT consortium includes GoodDoc, Nota, Comprehensive Support Center for Elderly Living Alone, Liner, Soundable Health Korea, SelectStar, Shinhan Card, Alfred, SK Broadband, A2C, Aim Intelligence, Ellis Group, Channel Corporation, TMap Mobility, Persona AI, Hana Card, Korean Tax Accountants Association Computerization Corporation, Habit Factory, and Hashed Ventures.

KT formed a consortium with companies that have experience participating in the Indepa-mo project, such as Upstage and Motif Technologies. Specifically, Naver (a subsidiary of Upstage), DeepSearch, LabelUp, Rebellion, MassPreso, Motif Technologies, Musinsa, Besl AI, BC Card, Saltlux, ActionPower, Upstage, NC AI, Zigbang, ConnectWave, and the Korean Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) joined the consortium.

iZentsoft formed a consortium with MegaZone, VDraft, ShureSoftTech, WiseNut, EastAid, Polaris Office, and the Korea Productivity Center. MKD and Xenon will participate individually without forming consortia.

The government will evaluate applicant companies by the end of this month and select two to three entities to participate in the 'AI for All' project. The evaluation process includes eligibility verification and written and presentation assessments, selecting companies that achieve high scores. Written evaluations comprehensively assess ▲competitiveness of AI models and services ▲utilization of GPUs and infrastructure operations ▲service development plans.

The Ministry of Science and ICT will sign agreements with the finally selected companies in September, launch beta services by the end of September, and officially release the 'AI for All' chatbot service in December. After 2027, the government plans to further enhance AI agents.

Selected companies in this project will receive either 256 or 128 units of NVIDIA's latest graphics processing unit (GPU), the B200, depending on the company. Government support will continue for five years from the date of contract signing until December 31, 2030.

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*This content was translated by AI.