Ministry of Science and ICT, AMD to Build Open AI Semiconductor Ecosystem Using Domestic NPUs

Signing of MOU for Cooperation in the AI Semiconductor Ecosystem
Integration of AMD CPUs and GPUs with Domestic NPUs
Establishment of a Heterogeneous Computing Infrastructure
AMD to Establish AI Research Center in Korea; Collaboration on Ta

The government is collaborating with the American semiconductor company AMD to establish an artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor ecosystem. The plan is to create an open ecosystem by integrating AMD's central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), and domestically produced neural processing units (NPUs).

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 27th that on the 23rd (local time), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Haehoon Bae met with Lisa Su, Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AMD, at the 'AMD Advancing AI 2026' event held in San Francisco, USA, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding cooperation on the AI semiconductor ecosystem between the Ministry and AMD.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Haehoon Bae (right) is talking with Lisa Su, Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AMD, at the 'AMD Advancing AI 2026' event held in San Francisco, USA. Ministry of Science and ICT

This MOU was signed to build an AI computing infrastructure that connects AMD’s CPUs and GPUs with Korean-made NPUs—renowned for their strength in the field of inference—and to expand global cooperation within the domestic AI semiconductor ecosystem.

The two parties will first work on establishing and demonstrating a heterogeneous AI computing infrastructure that integrates AMD’s CPUs and GPUs with domestic NPUs. Through this, they aim to implement an integrated computing environment that allows the optimal combination and use of computational resources according to the specific characteristics of each AI service.

AMD has been working to expand the AI computing ecosystem based on its open-source AI computing platform, ‘ROCm,’ and open standards. According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, the global AI semiconductor market is also shifting away from a GPU-centric computing model—even as AI inference demand increases—toward a heterogeneous computing architecture that combines CPUs, GPUs, NPUs, and other various processors.

On the ecosystem front, an open AI computing ecosystem will be established in which not only AI semiconductor companies but also related domestic firms—including those in memory, data processing units (DPUs), Compute Express Link (CXL), networks, servers, and orchestration software (SW)—participate. Based on this, the aim is to secure demonstration models that will enable Korean AI semiconductors to participate in global AI computing supply chains.

Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Baek Kong-hoon (left) and Lisa Su, Chair and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AMD, are signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the "AMD Advancing AI 2026" event held in San Francisco, USA. Ministry of Science and ICT

Additionally, both sides will promote 'AI for Science' research cooperation centered around the National AI Science Research Center (NAIS). AMD will provide computing resources such as CPUs and GPUs, AI software, and expert personnel to support AI-based research and R&D in Korea’s advanced science and technology fields.

AMD also plans to establish an AI Center of Excellence in Korea. The Center will serve as a hub for collaboration, supporting technical cooperation with Korean companies and institutions, AI semiconductor software development, and joint research on computing technologies—all leveraging AMD’s AI computing infrastructure and software capabilities.

The parties will also collaborate to foster outstanding talent in the field of AI. AMD will support leading universities and graduate schools in Korea by providing educational and research programs based on AI computing platforms and by offering access to its computing resources. In addition, AMD plans to expand the foundation for academia-industry-research collaboration by advancing joint research and technology cooperation in next-generation AI fields, such as Physical AI.

The cooperation between the Ministry of Science and ICT and AMD began in earnest after AMD Chairwoman Lisa Su’s visit to Korea in March. The MOU was signed on the occasion of President Jaemyung Lee’s visit to the United States. The signing ceremony was arranged at the invitation of Lisa Su, Chairwoman of AMD.

Deputy Prime Minister Haehoon Bae stated, "Global AI competition is now shifting toward heterogeneous computing and open ecosystems that combine various computational resources such as CPUs, GPUs, and NPUs. Through cooperation with AMD, we can enhance the competitiveness of Korea’s AI semiconductor ecosystem and create a new partnership model that adapts to changes in the global AI computing infrastructure."

Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, said, “Korea is a core strategic market for AMD, possessing world-class competitiveness in semiconductors, AI, advanced research, and Physical AI. AMD will actively support the Republic of Korea in building an open, heterogeneous AI infrastructure by combining high-performance computing technology, open software capabilities, and global ecosystem partnerships through collaboration with the Ministry of Science and ICT.”

To implement this agreement, the two organizations plan to form a joint consultative body and hold quarterly working-level meetings to discuss detailed cooperation initiatives.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, Hae-Kun Bae (left), and Lisa Su, Chairwoman and CEO of AMD, are having a conversation at the "AMD Advancing AI 2026" event held in San Francisco, USA. Ministry of Science and ICT

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.