The Ministry of Science and ICT has selected a consortium led by Motif Technologies Inc. as an additional participant in the project to develop homegrown artificial intelligence foundation models. The team, which includes the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), will compete with three previously shortlisted groups led by SK Telecom, LG AI Research, and Upstage. The government plans to choose two final winners by the end of the year.
The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on February 20 that it has chosen a consortium led by Motif Technologies Inc. as an extra competitor in the state-funded program to develop proprietary artificial intelligence foundation models. This group, featuring the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), was recognized for its expertise in creating AI models using independent architectures and for delivering performance on par with international ones, even with constrained data resources.
In the previous month, the ministry had narrowed down to three initial teams—those headed by SK Telecom Co., LG AI Research, and Upstage—while disqualifying consortia led by Naver Cloud Corp. and NC AI Co. For the additional slot, only the Motif group and one led by Trillion Labs applied, with Naver and NC AI opting not to participate despite eligibility.
An AI foundation model is a large-scale system trained on extensive data, adaptable to numerous tasks. The initiative supports South Korea's ambition to rank among the global top three AI leaders. All four teams will receive assistance including access to graphics processing units (GPUs) and data.
Kim Kyung-man, director general for AI policy at the ministry, stated during a press briefing: "(The Motif Technologies consortium) was acknowledged for its experience in designing AI models based on an independent architecture and for achieving performance competitive with global models despite a limited data environment."
Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon remarked in a release: "Major big-tech companies, such as OpenAI and Anthropic, were not large and globally acknowledged organizations from the start." He added: "The government will spare no efforts in establishing a broader and competitive AI ecosystem in South Korea through the challenges of all the participating companies."
The government intends to select two ultimate winners by year's end to continue receiving support.
