Korea’s National AI Project Puts 264 GPUs Within Reach of SMEs and Startups

For smaller companies in Korea, cutting-edge AI compute has always been someone else’s privilege. That’s starting to change. Under the government’s National AI Project, 264 units of the high-performance B200 GPU have been set aside exclusively for SMEs, venture companies, and early-stage startups — delivered free of charge through the cloud.

The decision came out of the 6th Science and Technology Minister’s Meeting, where the Ministry of Science and ICT allocated roughly 3,000 of the 10,000 GPUs procured through Korea’s 2025 supplementary budget to ministry-level programs. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) put forward two project proposals — both greenlit — to claim its 264-GPU share.

Computing resources will be provided remotely through NHN Cloud, a private data center partner, at no cost to selected participants through year-end. Applications open in April, with evaluation running through May and support kicking off in June.

Multi-AI Agent Development for SME Manufacturing — 64 GPUs

The first program takes aim at Korea’s manufacturing base. Consortiums of technology firms and manufacturers can apply for GPU access to train AI models on production data, build out datasets, and validate new technologies — all with an eye toward deploying real solutions on the factory floor. The end goal is to accelerate AI transformation across the SME manufacturing sector and plant the seeds for a more resilient, innovation-driven production ecosystem.

Deep-Tech Incubator Program for Startups — 200 GPUs

The larger chunk — 200 GPUs — flows to startups through three tracks, each targeting a different stage and style of AI development.

Strategic AI Development (85 GPUs) is built around collaboration between startups and academic or government research institutions, combining specialized domain knowledge with proprietary startup technologies to produce AI with real competitive bite. Industry-Specific AI Solutions (85 GPUs) encourages companies to team up and develop AI tools tailored to particular industrial sectors — a cooperative model designed to drive focused, sector-level innovation.

The third track, Startup for All (30 GPUs), is the most direct in its intent. High-performance compute costs have long kept aspiring AI founders from getting off the ground, and this track addresses that head-on. Beyond raw GPU access, participants receive a bundled support package: AI incubation, mentorship from experienced founders, and connections to investors — everything a first-time AI entrepreneur needs to move from idea to company.

The broader message is hard to miss. By directing national-level GPU resources to the businesses that need them most — and wrapping them in hands-on R&D and commercialization support — the initiative makes a clear statement: Korea’s AI transformation isn’t just for the big players.