BUSAN — The city of Busan is entering the race to host a global artificial intelligence hub with plans for an AI innovation belt linking its North Port area, Centum City and Eco Delta City. The strategy is to strengthen its bid by combining office space, residential conditions, computing infrastructure and industrial testbeds in one package. The city will also push AI transformation of its core local industries, including marine affairs and manufacturing, along with the spread of AI services in residents' daily lives.
Busan announced the strategy on the 28th at a ceremony declaring its vision, "Busan, a Future City Opened by AI," held at the Nurimaru APEC House. Under the vision of "a leading AI city where residents feel the change and industry grows," the city presented three strategies covering daily life, industrial sites and urban infrastructure.
The core of the bid is connecting the city's existing assets. Busan will link office space in Centum City with the residential environment of Eco Delta City and provide AI computing infrastructure based on data centers. Busan Port and the city's finance, smart city and MICE industries will serve as a testing base for verifying AI technology and pursuing international cooperation, according to the plan.
To ensure the plan is carried out, Busan signed a joint cooperation agreement on attracting a global AI hub with related institutions, universities and companies. The city plans to set up cooperation frameworks by field, covering international cooperation, siting and residential conditions, AI infrastructure, joint research and talent development. A total of 17 institutions and companies joined the agreement, including BNK Financial Group, Korea Water Resources Corporation, BEXCO, KT, Intel Korea, Megazone Cloud and Pusan National University.
The industrial strategy makes Busan's marine base and manufacturing in the western part of the city the pillars of its AI transition. The city will pursue a major marine AI transformation and manufacturing AI transformation (AX) in western Busan, and build a cluster for testing and commercializing physical AI. It also plans to extend AI transformation into the bio and content sectors. Other tasks presented include the innovation belt connecting North Port, Centum City and Eco Delta City, a global innovation base, and a quantum transformation (QX) cluster for the southeastern region.
To help residents feel the change, the city will build a youth AI hub and train talent, while expanding services tied to daily life in administration, welfare, transportation, safety and tourism. Busan says it aims to grow both resident services and its industrial base to become a leading AI city.
Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said, "By adding AI to the strengths of Busan as a maritime capital, we will become a city where residents feel the change and industry grows." He added, "We will connect office space, residential conditions, AI infrastructure, testbeds and the MICE base, and bring together industry, academia, research institutes and government to attract a global AI hub."