Kakao (035720) will open a hub in Busan this year to train artificial intelligence talent and support startups, aiming to build a regional AI ecosystem by connecting local talent, entrepreneurs, researchers and companies while backing joint research and technology commercialization.
Kakao has selected Asti Busan, an officetel building — a mixed-use development whose units serve as both residences and offices — near Busan Station as the site of the "Kakao AI Sail Center" and has begun interior work, according to information technology industry sources on the 27th. The roughly 760-square-meter space, targeted for completion this year, will house a large event hall, a mid-sized lecture room, an investor relations room and an open lounge.
Kakao AI Sail is a project organization Kakao formed with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) and the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) to nurture regional AI talent and companies. The core idea is to combine the institutes' research and education capabilities with Kakao's business infrastructure and hands-on programs, creating a growth track that runs from identifying talent through to launching companies.
The Busan center is the project's first hub. Kakao judged that Busan offers strong transport access and an industrial base — including manufacturing, tourism and marine sectors — suited to AI transformation, or AX, making it a favorable site for validating and commercializing research results. Kakao plans to expand to other regions after Busan.
The center will operate as a space where talent, entrepreneurs, investors and companies meet and collaborate on a regular basis. Work and collaboration areas for entrepreneurs and researchers will be equipped with remote conferencing and online content broadcasting gear to support mentoring and seminars. The focus goes beyond providing space for tenants or venue rentals to promoting exchange and joint projects among participants.
Programs for startups and talent development will run continuously. Kakao plans to offer programs tailored to each growth stage, including startup boot camps, joint AX research, proof-of-concept testing, demo days and technology mentoring.
Ties with local companies are another key task. The project will identify challenges that need solving in Busan's mainstay industries such as ports, logistics, tourism and manufacturing, then seek solutions by pairing the science institutes' deep-tech capabilities with Kakao's AI technology. The aim is to accelerate AX at existing companies while also uncovering new startup opportunities.
The project is also expected to widen Kakao's AI partnership network, as local companies that grow with its support could later become technology and business partners. Kakao Group has been running a talent development project with the four science and technology institutes since September last year. AnyBridge AI, a winning team from KAIST, is preparing a pilot project with Kakao, while UNIST's Blackbox developed AI-based technology for turning webtoon intellectual property into video and received investment from Kakao Investment.
Over the longer term, Kakao AI Sail plans to develop the center into a permanent hub linking AI education, research and startup activity in Busan. "Talent that gains experience solving problems for local companies will go on to start businesses, and those companies will in turn support AX at other local firms — we will build that virtuous cycle," a Kakao official said. "Through this, we will create a self-sustaining ecosystem in which AI talent, technology and capital now concentrated in the capital region also circulate in the regions."
