South Korea has chosen three major telecom companies—SK Telecom, Kakao, and KT—to provide free generative AI access to all citizens under its 'AI for Everyone' initiative, making it the first major state-led program treating AI as a public utility. KT plans to embed AI directly into existing apps like Musinsa, Qanda, and Daum rather than creating new platforms.
Israel's Prime Minister's Office National AI Directorate and Finance Ministry jointly announced a series of national AI projects, including 'Project Nexus,' a tender for a national quantum computing platform, and requests for information on physical AI infrastructure and testing centers.
South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT held a groundbreaking ceremony for the National AI Computing Center in Haenam County, South Jeolla Province, launching construction of a facility that will house 15,000 GPUs by 2028 with 2.5 trillion won ($1.8 billion) in investment.
Countries including Canada, South Korea, and European nations are racing to build domestic AI infrastructure and deploy locally-controlled AI systems, driven by data sovereignty regulations and concerns about dependence on U.S. technology. Korea has shipped its first sovereign AI appliance combining domestic chips and language models, while Europe faces data center capacity constraints.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced a 370 trillion yen ($2.3 trillion) public-private investment plan spanning 17 sectors including AI, semiconductors, quantum technology, defense, space, and nuclear fusion through fiscal year 2040. The announcement drove Japan's Nikkei 225 to cross 72,000 for the first time.
