Ulsan city drives AI industrial hub as Taiwan announces AI expansion plan

Ulsan city in South Korea is positioning itself as a global industrial AI conversion hub. The city will focus on physical AI and an AI data centre, leveraging its manufacturing base and energy resources. A joint effort by SK and Amazon Web Services is investing roughly 7 trillion won to build a 1‑GW AI data centre, and a public‑private partnership with local universities and firms will create a platform for technology development and demonstration across robotics, shipbuilding and automotive sectors.

Taiwan’s president Lai Ching‑te unveiled an "AI New Four Major Constructions" strategy that targets a sovereign AI infrastructure, a national cloud‑computing grid, training of at least 500 000 AI application specialists by 2040, and balanced regional AI deployment. The plan also seeks to support one million small‑medium enterprises in digital transformation, develop core technologies such as silicon photonics and quantum computing, and integrate AI across health, finance, law and other sectors. Taiwan’s government projects near‑10% GDP growth this year, attributing it to the surge in global AI opportunities.