South Korea Rejects AI Slowdown Proposals to Protect Chip Industry

The Government of South Korea declared on Wednesday that the nation must advance artificial intelligence without pause or delay. This position places the country in direct opposition to proposals from U.S.-based AI model developers OpenAI and Anthropic PBC, who have suggested slowing the pace of AI development to manage risks.

South Korea's insistence on rapid progress is tied to its economic reliance on the global AI data center boom. As the home of semiconductor leaders Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc., the country is a primary beneficiary of the surging demand for high-performance hardware and memory chips required to power large-scale AI models.