Won 4,700tn AI Korea Blueprint Reshapes the Nation's Industrial Map
The government unveiled a won 4,700 trillion AI Korea blueprint to build industrial hubs nationwide. Regionally, Songdo will specialize in bio, South Chungcheong in HBM, Gwangju in semiconductors, Gumi in AI data centers and robotics, Ulsan in energy storage systems (ESS), and Geoje in shipbuilding.
The semiconductor mega project's core rests on three pillars: investment scale, speed, and ecosystem. The southwestern region alone will see won 800 trillion in investment, with won 81 trillion earmarked for HBM packaging in the Chungcheong region; more than won 30 trillion will go to semiconductor R&D over 15 years, and the government will create a won 2 trillion special semiconductor account in 2027.
On speed, the plan targets doubling DRAM production capacity within five years. SK hynix will shorten construction timelines by 12 months and Samsung Electronics by seven months; Samsung's Pyeongtaek fabs 5 and 6 in particular will shift from sequential to simultaneous construction, cutting an additional three to four years off the schedule.
On ecosystem-building, the southeastern and Daegu-Gyeongbuk regions will be developed as innovation hubs for materials, parts and equipment suppliers, alongside workforce training initiatives and discussion of a national defense semiconductor act. Samsung Electronics will invest roughly won 140 trillion in its Gwangju semiconductor plant and Chungcheong HBM processes, while basing its robotics and battery push in the Yeongnam region; SK hynix will invest about won 400 trillion in its southwestern semiconductor plant and an additional won 100 trillion near Cheongju, with its emphasis on expanding AI data centers.
AI data centers will be built in a first phase totaling 8.4GW and won 550 trillion through 2029, with a second-phase expansion also planned. The goal is for Korea to capture 25% of Asia-Pacific AI data center capacity by 2030. In physical AI, the plan targets commercialization by 2028, developing humanoid robots specialized for 10 major industries centered on Saemangeum.