Hannam University to Lead National Defense AI Talent Program

Hannam University in Daejeon will spearhead a crucial initiative to modernize South Korea's defense sector by integrating artificial intelligence. The university has been chosen as the lead institution for the Ministry of National Defense's "Defense AI Talent Cultivation Project" for 2026.

This ambitious project, supported by the Ministry of National Defense and the Institute for Information & Communications Technology Promotion (IITP), seeks to build and operate a robust AI infrastructure for the defense industry. It fosters collaboration among the military, industry players, and academic institutions. Over the next five years, until 2030, the project will receive a total of 26.8 billion won in government funding.

The initiative will establish five "Defense AI Transformation (AX) Hubs" nationwide, serving as centers for military-industry-academia cooperation. These hubs will be located in Yongsan (Joint Chiefs of Staff), Pangyo (Army), Daejeon (Army), Yangjae (Air Force), and Busan (Navy/Marine Corps). Hannam University will receive 10 billion won this year to commence its operations.

To secure this leading role, Hannam University formed a consortium with prominent organizations including the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA), KT, and MRO Defense. The project will focus on developing AI technologies customized for each military branch. A key component will be the creation of a platform optimized for the entire lifecycle of AI model development, deployment, operation, and training, utilizing NVIDIA's H100 GPUs.

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We will foster top-tier talent to lead the AI transformation in the defense sector.