South Korea to Invest 4.5217 Trillion Won in Physical AI, Semiconductors, and Data Centers Next Year

South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Science and ICT will allocate 4.5217 trillion won next year to three projects: physical AI, semiconductors, and data centers. According to Odaily, the trade ministry's budget is 3.7261 trillion won, while the science ministry's budget is 795.6 billion won. The trade ministry will spend 762.8 billion won on manufacturing AI transformation, including data collection at production sites, development of AI foundation models, wider use of domestic humanoid robots, and ecosystem building for key components, materials, and equipment. It will also set aside 1.5541 trillion won for semiconductors and 43 billion won for AI data center technology and talent development. The science ministry will allocate 133.7 billion won to physical AI, including development of a general-purpose physical AI foundation model and logistics testing with Korea Post. It will also invest 135 billion won in semiconductors and 222.9 billion won in data centers, including construction of a 10-megawatt AI data center test platform.