South Korean AI startup Motif Technologies has been selected to join the government’s sovereign artificial intelligence foundation model project, announced the Ministry of Science and ICT on Friday. This move underscores Seoul’s commitment to developing a nationally homegrown AI system.
The decision comes after a supplementary call for proposals was initiated following the withdrawal of two previous contenders, creating an opening within the project’s core teams. Officials indicated that the additional review aimed to strengthen the competitive landscape by including a technically self-reliant developer.
In this latest evaluation round, the ministry conducted a thorough assessment of the Motif Technologies-led consortium, which includes KAIST and Trillion Labs, before ultimately selecting Motif.
According to the ministry, Motif distinguished itself through its ability to independently design and implement key technologies essential for a sovereign AI model.
“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’s plan involves developing a reasoning-focused large language model (LLM) with 300 billion parameters, all built on domestically developed AI technology.
With its selection, Motif joins LG AI Research, Upstage, and SK Telecom, all of which advanced during the initial screening last month. These four teams will now proceed to the next evaluation stage.
The initial round of selection narrowed the field after Naver Cloud and NC AI did not advance. Subsequently, the ministry reopened applications to ensure that four competing teams remained in the program.
A second-round evaluation is scheduled for August, during which the four teams will compete for three available spots. The ministry anticipates selecting two final recipients of support by the end of the year.
yeeun
