KISTI Holds Commemorative Event for Building HPC Infrastructure for ASEAN Data Utilization
- Expectation for Continued Digital Cooperation Between Korea and ASEAN -

 The Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) announced that it held a commemorative event for the Building HPC Infrastructure and HPC Capacity for ASEAN Data Utilization project on March 10 at the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) in Jakarta, Indonesia.

 As part of the Korea-ASEAN Digital Flagship (KADIF)*, the HPC infrastructure and capacity enhancement initiative is an international cooperation project supported by the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF), provided by the Korean government. With a budget of USD 10 million (approximately KRW 14.7 billion), the project will run for four years from September 2024 to 2028. Its goal is to enhance digital capabilities using data and AI by providing ASEAN member states (AMS) with an environment based on high-performance computing (HPC).
   * Korea-ASEAN Digital Flagship: An initiative by the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT to strengthen AI and digital capabilities in ASEAN, running from 2024 to 2029 with a total fund of USD 30 million from the AKCF.

 The main components of this international cooperation project include the construction of HPC infrastructure, the development of the National Science & Technology Information Service (NTIS), and the KISTI-ASEAN Data & AI Training Program for HPC, which will train 160 participants over four years.

 Currently, eight AMS, excluding Thailand and Singapore, do not possess HPC infrastructure. In particular, there is a significant shortage of GPU- and NPU-based HPC environments, which are crucial for data and AI capabilities.

 This project aims to establish research infrastructure in AMS that currently lack HPC environments, while leveraging KISTI’s expertise in HPC operations and AI technologies to bolster the digital competitiveness of these states.

 Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN, stated, “Building HPC, a core research infrastructure between ASEAN and Korea, will greatly contribute to enhancing the digital and scientific competitiveness of ASEAN member states. Moreover, we will actively support the creation of a continuous digital cooperation framework between ASEAN and Korea.”

 Lee Jang-keun, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to ASEAN, stated, “We congratulate the Korea-ASEAN Digital Flagship, which was announced at the 24th ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit, for taking its first tangible step through this event. By building HPC infrastructure, we aim to create new opportunities for digital innovation cooperation that did not previously exist between Korea and ASEAN, and to establish a digital cooperation model based on research capabilities.”

 Lee Sik, President of KISTI, stated, “We hope that the establishment of HPC infrastructure for ASEAN data utilization through this project will contribute to strengthening the digital capabilities of ASEAN member states and, furthermore, serve as an opportunity to lay the foundation for Korea-ASEAN scientific and technological cooperation.”