Daegu, Ulsan, and Chungbuk were selected as hubs for corporate innovation that support the development and verification of regional artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, and it is expected that this will be an opportunity to accelerate the digital transformation of the regional manufacturing industry and further strengthen Korea's manufacturing competitiveness.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Oh Young-joo) announced on the 28th that it had finally selected Daegu Metropolitan City, Ulsan Metropolitan City, and Chungcheongbuk-do as the three regions where it will establish a manufacturing artificial intelligence (AI) center.

This selection was carried out as part of a regional manufacturing data activation project to promote the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and manufacturing data by small and medium-sized manufacturing companies.

The Manufacturing Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center serves as a base to support small and medium-sized manufacturing companies to effectively introduce and utilize artificial intelligence (AI) and manufacturing data.

The center will build regional specialized platforms, distribute manufacturing artificial intelligence (AI) solutions tailored to key industries, and operate an innovation network to support companies’ AI transformation (AX).

In addition, it will work to strengthen the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) solution providers, activate cooperation between companies, and disseminate technologies that have been verified in the field through verification projects.

In this selection process, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups comprehensively evaluated each region's manufacturing data utilization strategy, business management capabilities, and potential for performance diffusion. The three centers finally selected will receive a total of KRW 12 billion (Daegu, Chungcheongbuk-do) and KRW 12.9 billion (Ulsan), including KRW 6 billion in national funds, and will operate for 31 months.


Each region plans to pursue a manufacturing artificial intelligence (AI) strategy tailored to its main industry.

Daegu aims to improve competitiveness through the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in the core technologies of the machine element and material component industries, such as casting, forging, injection, cutting, and processing. It plans to accelerate the transition to AI in the manufacturing industry by building an AI support platform, verifying specialized solutions, and operating industry-academia-research cooperation programs.

Ulsan is creating an open innovation ecosystem utilizing manufacturing data centered on the auto parts industry. It will distribute AI conversion solutions and operate a comprehensive program including AI technology development, platform construction, education, and overseas expansion support. In the future, it plans to expand to key industries such as chemicals and shipbuilding to strengthen the competitiveness of the entire regional economy.

Chungbuk plans to increase the acceptance of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and promote its adoption by small and medium-sized manufacturing companies, focusing on the bio, cosmetics, and medical device industries. In order to foster the convergence bio industry in the entire Chungcheongbuk-do region, including Cheongju-si, Chungju-si, Eumseong-gun, and Jincheon-gun, we will strengthen technical support such as foundation model development, dataset construction, and artificial intelligence (AI) solution verification and certification.

Kwon Soon-jae, the director of regional enterprise policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, “The Manufacturing AI Center will foster specialized areas such as AI-based process optimization, defect prediction, and quality control tailored to the characteristics of regional industries and serve as a key hub for nationwide expansion.” He added, “We plan to actively support Daegu, Ulsan, and Chungbuk, which were selected this time, so that they can lead the transition to AI in the mechanical components and materials parts, automobile parts, and convergence bio industries, respectively.”