“Life in Pohang was an experiment that changed me and an adventure with my team.”

Kim Min-woo (26), originally from Daejeon, expressed this sentiment on the 28th after completing the 3rd cohort of the 'Apple Developer Academy' at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology). He added, “In a space that values reasons over answers and autonomy over instructions, I gained the strength to define and solve problems in my own way.” Kim has been residing in Pohang, Gyeongbuk for two years and is currently active as a design mentor at the academy.

Kim stated, “Beyond simply writing code and creating beautiful designs, I experienced growth by thinking independently, collaborating, and never losing sight of the question ‘why’,” adding, “For those who want to reflect on themselves and redesign their future journey, this experience will be a life-changing opportunity.”

● Pohang as a Leading AI City

In 2022, POSTECH launched the nation's first 'Apple Developer Academy'. Over approximately nine months, participants study application (app) development, design, coding, marketing, artificial intelligence (AI), and project management. Through the first four cohorts, 760 individuals have experienced app development, entrepreneurship, and research and development (R&D) collaboration. Numerous projects aimed at supporting socially disadvantaged groups have emerged, such as apps aiding Parkinson's disease rehabilitation and apps visually explaining sounds and harmonies for the hearing impaired. The academy is currently recruiting for the 5th cohort. Anyone aged 19 or older can apply, regardless of major, education, or experience. This academy operates in 18 cities worldwide, including the United States and Italy.

In the same year, POSTECH also opened the 'Apple Manufacturing R&D Support Center'. The center is equipped with over 50 advanced Apple devices, including a cleanroom and an optical microscope on the first floor, and lecture and conference rooms on the second floor. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) incorporate smart technologies into quality control and process management here to drive manufacturing innovation. To date, over 600 companies have received support through lectures, forums, idea exchanges, and technology upgrades.

Pohang is transforming into an AI hub city. The Apple Academy and Manufacturing Support Center are representative R&D infrastructures. Centered around the Jigok-dong research complex, world-class research institutions such as the POSTECH AI Research Institute, the 4th Generation Synchrotron Radiation Facility, the Korea Institute of Robot and Convergence, and the POSCO Future Technology Research Institute are concentrated. Here, a vast amount of AI training data amounting to 10 petabytes (PB) annually is produced. One PB can store about 200,000 high-definition movies.

In 2023, Pohang City established a dedicated AI department, the Digital Convergence Industry Division. In November last year, it declared the 'AI Leading City Gyeongbuk Pohang Vision' and launched the 'Gyeongbuk Pohang AI Innovation Committee', chaired by Pohang Mayor Lee Kang-deok. The committee comprises 25 AI experts from global companies like Google, Amazon, Naver, POSCO, and KT, as well as POSTECH, Handong University, KAIST, Seoul National University, and Korea University.

The city recently announced the 'Gyeongbuk Pohang AI Strategy' and is accelerating industrial development. It has established four major strategies: △Building a 'Global AI Infrastructure and Ecosystem' to lead AI innovation in Korea △Creating an 'AI Loan and Fund' worth approximately KRW 100 billion to foster a business-friendly environment △Promoting AI Transformation (AX) across all industries △Supporting the globalization of companies.

To create a private-sector-led AI cooperation network, the 'Gyeongbuk Pohang AI Company Alliance', involving 56 digital companies in Gyeongbuk Province, was also launched. Pohang Deputy Mayor Jang Sang-gil stated, “For Pohang to leap beyond a steel city to a global leading city, digital innovation is essential, with AI at its core.”

● Full Effort to Attract the National AI Computing Center

Pohang City is putting all its efforts into attracting the National AI Computing Center to complete its future AI city vision. The government plans to invest approximately KRW 2 trillion to establish this national-scale supercomputing hub outside the capital region, which will serve as the 'heart' of the AI industry.

Pohang is evaluated as a location with five major strengths: manufacturing demand, investment ecosystem, talent cultivation, world-class research infrastructure, and power supply. The city emphasizes that it is the most suitable region to achieve the core selection criterion of 'early service launch by 2027'. In fact, Pohang is the center of a manufacturing industry belt where national key industries such as steel, secondary batteries, machinery, and metals are concentrated. An investment ecosystem for establishing a special purpose company (SPC) is already prepared. Hundreds of AI master's and doctoral-level talents are produced annually, centered around POSTECH and Handong University, and affordable power can be secured under the Distributed Energy Special Act.

The mayor stated, “We are ready to lead Korea by making the AI industry a future growth engine,” and “We will strive to attract the National AI Computing Center to Pohang, which has the optimal conditions, to help our country become one of the top three AI powerhouses.”

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