South Korean AI startup Motif Technologies has been selected to participate in the government’s sovereign artificial intelligence foundation model project, according to an announcement from the Ministry of Science and ICT on Friday. This move underscores Seoul’s commitment to fostering a nationally developed AI ecosystem.
This decision follows a supplemental call for proposals initiated after two initial contenders were disqualified, leaving a vacancy among the project’s core teams. Officials stated that the additional review aimed to enhance competition by including a developer capable of technical self-reliance.
In this latest round, the ministry conducted an in-depth assessment of the Motif Technologies-led consortium, which also includes KAIST and Trillion Labs, before ultimately selecting Motif.
The ministry highlighted Motif’s ability to independently design and implement key technologies as a significant factor in its selection.
“The company has proposed and implemented multiple core modules on its own and has developed proprietary foundation models not only in text but also across image and video domains,” Kim Kyung-man, director general of AI policy at the ministry, stated during a press briefing held at the Government Complex Seoul.
Motif plans to develop a reasoning-focused large language model with 300 billion parameters, built upon domestically developed AI technology.
With this selection, Motif joins LG AI Research, Upstage, and SK Telecom, all of whom advanced through the initial screening last month. These four teams will now proceed to the next stage of evaluation.
The first round resulted in Naver Cloud and NC AI failing to advance. Subsequently, the ministry reopened applications to ensure the program maintained four competing teams.
A second-round evaluation is scheduled for August, where the four teams will compete for three available spots. By the end of the year, the ministry intends to select two final recipients to receive support.
yeeun
