by glacom.news

Seoul launches 'AI for All' with SK Telecom, Kakao and KT. Nvidia B200 GPUs and free services for citizens to reduce dependence on US AI models.

AI for All: the Korean plan for digital independence from USA models

South Korea has officialized a state strategy to counter the hegemony of foreign artificial intelligence models, particularly the advance of ChatGPT in the local market. The Ministry of Science and ICT has launched 'AI for All', an ambitious government project aimed at providing domestic and free artificial intelligence services to every single citizen. The stated goal is twofold: to reduce technological dependence on US platforms and to bridge the digital divide through universal access.

For the implementation of the plan, the government has selected three consortia led by technology and telecommunications giants SK Telecom, Kakao and KT. The choice occurred after a rigorous selection process involving six bidders (including MKD, ESTsoft and Xenon), evaluated through written reviews and prototype presentations. Selection criteria focused on the competitiveness of AI models, GPU deployment capacity, user acquisition strategy and contribution to the overall AI ecosystem.

Strategic analysis: This move represents a case of 'active digital sovereignty'. While the EU focuses on regulation (AI Act), Seoul is using the leverage of the market and public funding to create an infrastructural alternative. The approach is not only technological, but social: by making AI free and integrated into public services, the Korean state aims to create a usage habit that favors national champions over global players.

The battle of the 512 B200s: how Seoul distributes silicon among the three consortia

The beating heart of 'AI for All' is not just software, but hardware. To ensure that domestic models can compete in terms of performance with American LLMs (Large Language Models), the Korean government has arranged a massive allocation of computing power.

• Hardware Allocation: The three selected operators will receive a total of 512 Nvidia B200 GPUs within the current year.
• Financial Support: While the initial infrastructure is being distributed now, the government has planned to cover the service management costs on a national scale through the state budget starting next year.
• Technical Goal: The allocation of these GPUs is part of a broader effort of collaboration between the government, Nvidia and local industry to build a resilient AI infrastructure.

Business analysis: Access to 512 B200s (Nvidia's Blackwell architecture) is a critical competitive advantage. In a market where access to silicon is the main bottleneck, the State acts as a 'demand aggregator' and distributor, removing the financial entry barrier for the consortia and accelerating the training and inference times of local models.

From bookings to certificates: the three different visions of SK Telecom, Kakao and KT

Although the goal is common, the three consortia have proposed divergent approaches for service implementation, each betting on its own infrastructural strengths.

Consortium	Strategic Focus	Key Services	Access Channels
SK Telecom	AI Action-Oriented	Restaurant bookings, issuance of 83 types of certificates	Voice calls, SMS, Text
Kakao	Ecosystem Integration	Bookings, applications, integrated payments	Messenger (KakaoTalk)
KT	Public Services and Media	Link to public and daily services	IPTV, Daum, Telecom

The Ministry of Science and ICT rewarded these proposals for their ability to offer general-purpose chatbots that surpass the performance of foreign ones and, above all, for the creation of public AI agents capable of managing complex application procedures, preventing citizens from losing state benefits due to lack of information.

Total integration: how AI will enter IPTV, messaging and voice calls

The originality of the Korean plan lies in the capillarity of the distribution. AI will not be confined to a single app, but distributed through touchpoints already existing in the daily lives of citizens.

• Voice and Text Channel (SK Telecom): AI will be reachable via simple calls or messages, allowing an 'action-oriented' interaction that goes from planning to execution and confirmation of the result.
• Social/Messaging Channel (Kakao): Integration into the country's most used messenger will transform AI into an assistant for financial transactions and immediate bookings.
• Home/Media Channel (KT): Integration into IPTV and the Daum portal will bring AI directly into home screens, linking it to public utility services.

Actor map: In this scheme, the Ministry of Science and ICT acts as regulator and funder; Nvidia provides the hardware engine; SKT, Kakao and KT act as platform orchestrators; startups (see next section) provide vertical specialization.

Beyond the chatbot: the role of startups in the development of specialized services

The 'AI for All' project is not a closed system managed only by the three giants. A fundamental part of the bidder evaluation was their ability to contribute to the wider AI ecosystem. The winning consortia have in fact proposed the development of specialized services created in collaboration with startups.

This 'Hub and Spoke' model envisions that large operators provide the infrastructure (GPUs and base models), while startups develop high-value-added vertical applications. This approach allows for:

• Accelerating innovation through the agility of small businesses.
• Avoiding the monopoly of the three large consortia over service creativity.
• Creating a domestic AI-as-a-Service market where startups can scale rapidly thanks to the user base guaranteed by the government.

Scenario analysis: If this model succeeds, we will see the birth of a generation of Korean 'AI-native startups' that do not depend on OpenAI or Google APIs, but on a national infrastructure. Verifiable indicator: The number of startups integrated into the consortia by the official launch planned for the end of 2026.

Technological sovereignty vs ChatGPT: the risk of a national 'bubble'

Seoul's strategy is a direct response to the dominance of ChatGPT. However, the approach of creating a free national alternative brings both opportunities and significant risks.

'The winning bidders scored highly for proposing general-purpose AI chatbot services that surpass foreign AI'

Pros of the strategy:

• Independence: Reduction of vulnerability to pricing or policy changes of US providers.
• Customization: Models optimized for the Korean language and culture, more precise in local public services.
• Inclusion: Free access eliminates the economic barrier for the poorest segments of the population.

Cons and Risks:

• Technological Isolation: The risk of creating a national 'bubble' that, while efficient internally, could fall behind the global evolution of open-source or proprietary US models.
• Fiscal Sustainability: Shifting cost coverage to the state budget from next year exposes the project to political and financial fluctuations.
• Innovation Quality: The risk that the absence of market competition (being a free and state service) reduces the incentive for continuous improvement.

Verifiable indicator: The adoption rate of 'AI for All' compared to ChatGPT among Korean users in the first 12 months from launch.

The Korean model between AI Act and NIS2: lessons for the EU on state management of AI infrastructures

For the European entrepreneur and decision-maker, the Korean case offers a perspective opposite to that of the European Union. While the EU has adopted the AI Act to regulate risks and NIS2 to strengthen the cybersecurity of critical infrastructures, South Korea is using the State as an investor and buyer.

Strategic comparison:

• EU: Compliance-first approach. The goal is to protect the citizen from AI.
• South Korea: Infrastructure-first approach. The goal is to provide AI to the citizen to compete globally.

What this means for Italian companies and the EU: The Korean initiative demonstrates that digital sovereignty is not achieved only with laws, but with physical access to computing (GPUs) and integration into essential services. For Italian companies, this underlines the importance of not depending on a single cloud/AI provider. If the EU does not develop shared computing infrastructures or incentives similar to those of Seoul, European companies will remain simple consumers of foreign technologies, subject to costs and rules decided elsewhere. The Korean model suggests that the integration of AI into public services (PA) can be the flywheel to create a domestic market of AI startups, provided that the State supports the initial infrastructural costs.

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Sources: En, En, Techinasia, Chosun · by glacom.news AI