Industrial and technological development in Pohang

Pohang, South Korea, is implementing several initiatives to advance its manufacturing and industrial sectors through specialized technological hubs.

In May 2026, the RIST Advanced Manufacturing Incubating Center was inaugurated. This center, a partnership between government bodies, RIST, and the POSCO Group, provides technical assistance, factory-type premises, and investment support to startups focused on sectors such as battery recycling and eco-friendly materials. It aims to help transition technologies from laboratory scales to mass production.

Following this, in August 2026, Pohang was selected for the 'Steel Industry AI Convergence Demonstration Hub' project. Scheduled to run from 2026 to 2030, this 24 billion KRW initiative will establish a dedicated data center and GPU-based computing infrastructure at the Blue Valley National Industrial Complex. The project is designed to assist small and medium-sized steel enterprises in adopting artificial intelligence for production optimization, quality control, and predictive maintenance.