Here are some of the key news from this week about the AI, GPU market in Korea.
파이낸셜 투데이: 옵티코어, 글로벌 IT 대기업에 AI 데이터센터용 초고속 광트랜시버 첫 수주 (9/13)
Financial Today: Opticore Secures First Major Order for High-Speed Optical Transceivers for AI Data Centers from Global IT Giant
Opticore, a fiber-optic solutions company, announced on September 13, 2024, that it secured its first major order for high-speed optical transceivers for AI data centers from a global IT giant.
This initial order, valued at around 20 billion KRW (1.5M USD), marks 8% of the company’s annual sales from the previous fiscal year and signals a significant breakthrough in the rapidly growing data center sector. The transceivers, designed to handle speeds of 400G and 800G, are set for delivery by next month.
The product passed compatibility tests with global server and network providers, enhancing the likelihood of securing additional clients in Korea's AI data center market.
Opticore's strategy includes expanding globally, with discussions already underway with major corporations in North America and Japan. The company aims to leverage this contract as a reference for future deals, further strengthening its position in the AI sector.
Opticore recently entered a strategic partnership with DS&G, an AI platform specialist and major partner of companies like Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA. This collaboration aims to enhance the company’s competitiveness in providing infrastructure solutions for AI, high-performance computing (HPC), cloud, and edge environments.
According to a report from Samsung Securities, the domestic AI market is expected to grow by 18.8% annually, with the number of data centers in Korea projected to increase from 40 in 2023 to 74 by 2027. NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang also forecasted that the global AI data center market, currently valued at $1 trillion, will double in the next five years.
산업일보: AI 개발에 필요한 GPU, 클라우드 서비스로 해결 (9/11)
Korea Industry Daily: GPUs Demand for AI Development, Solutions Through Cloud Services
** This company Mondrian AI seems to offer similar services to the Foundry.
Mondrian AI introduced a "GPU rental platform" that allows users to rent high-performance GPUs on a pay-per-use basis, offering flexibility by allowing rentals by the hour or even by 30-minute intervals. This platform enables AI developers to access GPUs without the need for expensive upfront hardware costs.
The GPUs available for rent on the platform come from data centers or server operators, who can register idle resources for rental, creating additional revenue. According to Mondrian AI, this service has already expanded beyond Korea to Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, as demand for AI development increases.
The platform offers a more cost-effective alternative compared to traditional cloud services, which has attracted users from both domestic and international markets. This service is seen as a solution for the growing challenge of GPU shortages in the AI industry.
디지털 데일리: 업스테이지 차세대 LLM '솔라 프로' 베일 벗었다...싱글GPU 성능 '눈길' (9/11)
Digital Daily: Upstage Unveils Next-Generation LLM 'Solar Pro'... Single GPU Performance Draws Attention
Upstage has unveiled its next-generation large language model (LLM) 'Solar Pro', a model that boasts significant advancements in performance while operating on a single GPU.
Solar Pro, which is scheduled for official release in November 2024, offers over 22 billion parameters—double that of its predecessor, 'Solar Mini'—and is designed for AI development with minimal infrastructure costs.
Despite its increased size and improved capabilities, Solar Pro still operates efficiently on just one GPU, thanks to Upstage's proprietary depth expansion scaling (DUS) technology. This feature is especially advantageous as GPU prices soar and availability becomes scarce globally, allowing companies to manage AI-related costs effectively.
Upstage's focus on practical enterprise applications, including document writing, data management, and project management, has made benchmarks like MMLU Pro and IFEval particularly relevant for assessing real-world AI problem-solving abilities. The company has positioned Solar Pro as a leading tool for businesses seeking cost-effective yet powerful AI solutions.
Upstage CEO Kim Sung-hoon emphasized that Solar Pro represents a major step forward for the company as it continues to expand its global presence. Recently securing 100 billion KRW in Series B funding, Upstage is expanding its AI business both domestically and internationally, partnering with major firms like Intel, AWS, and financial institutions like Shinhan Investment Corp.