The Ministry of Science and ICT (led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon) will begin recruiting new field-specific supercomputing centers, known as specialized centers, on September 10. The move aims to expand the shared-use infrastructure for supercomputing in response to surging demand for large-scale computing resources driven by the convergence of science, technology and artificial intelligence (AI).
 [코리안투데이] Public notice for the new recruitment of field-specific supercomputing specialized centers by the Ministry of Science and ICT © 장형임 기자 |
The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it will newly recruit field-specific supercomputing centers, so-called specialized centers, in order to broaden the foundation for field-specific use of supercomputers and to expand shared use. This is a designation system based on Article 9-2 of the 「Act on the Utilization and Promotion of National Supercomputers」.
In 2022, the ministry designated seven institutions as specialized centers, including the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency, the Korea Meteorological Administration, the Institute for Basic Science, the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology and the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy. These centers have built and operated computing resources specialized by field and have carried out specialized user support, workforce training and inter-institutional resource linkage, laying the groundwork for researchers to access a range of supercomputing services.
This new recruitment comes as the convergence of science, technology and AI—including the recent ‘K-Moonshot’ initiative—has gained momentum, sharply increasing demand for large-scale computing resources centered on graphics processing units (GPUs). In line with this trend, the ministry prepared a 「Plan to Reform the Specialized Center Designation System」 at the National Supercomputing Committee last June to expand the resource base by technical field and to link and share distributed resources, and it plans to designate additional specialized centers in accordance with the reformed direction.
Institutions with expertise in specific technical fields and with supercomputing capabilities may apply for specialized center designation. Designated institutions will receive support for building and operating field-specific specialized resources, sharing resources, providing training and technical exchange for specialists, and linking to the National Research and Education Network (KREONET).
Designated specialized centers must provide user support and specialized services tailored to their field so that researchers can make smooth use of computing resources. In particular, they must take part in the overall establishment of the national computing-resource shared-use system, which is being pursued this year to enable efficient use of computing resources, secure resources available for shared use, and build services connected to the shared-use system.
From the standpoint of the research field, expanding the specialized centers means widening the channels through which individual institutions can jointly use large-scale computing resources that would be difficult to secure on their own. Because researchers can access field-specialized resources and expert support without being concentrated in particular institutions, the barrier to AI-based scientific research is expected to be lowered.
The public notice for recruiting new specialized centers runs from Thursday, September 10, to Monday, October 12. Following evaluation, the selection will be finalized in December, and the designation will run for two years starting next January. For institutions interested in the designation, the ministry will hold an information session on the designation system on Thursday, September 17, at the main headquarters of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information, located at 245 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. Details on the application schedule, how to apply and designation requirements are available on the websites of the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information.
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