As part of an initiative by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), POSTECH was selected as an ‘Artificial Intelligence Graduate School operating university (hereinafter referred to as the AI Graduate School).’

The AI Graduate School is a project launched by the MSIT to raise globally competent master’s and doctoral-level leaders specializing in the AI field in cooperation with the industry-academia-government partnership. The AI industry is known to be at the heart of the fourth industrial revolution. Three artificial intelligence graduate schools were already selected in the first half of last year, but the ministry announced that POSTECH and Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) were additionally selected in response to heightened social interest and market demand for artificial intelligence.

The AI Graduate School at POSTECH will receive 9 billion won ($7.5 million) in national funding for the next five years and will commence in the spring semester of 2020. Each year, 50 students (30 master’s and 20 MS/PhD Integrated Program) will be selected to cultivate the world’s best convergence experts in the field of AI and data science. The School plans to train and produce over 200 highly skilled individuals by the year 2023.

Since Pohang houses R&D hubs such as Pohang Research and Development Zone, Pohang Free Economic Zone, and the POSCO Venture Valley, a great synergy is expected in securing outstanding individuals of AI Graduate School early on to the research centers.