World News: More Countries Work To Build 'Sovereign AI'

 

 

“SEOUL -- A select few countries are seeking to build out their own artificial-intelligence capabilities, as China and the U.S. race to dominate a technology that could profoundly affect nations' economic competitiveness and national security.

 

South Korea, with its rich and advanced tech sector, is a strong believer in the idea that smaller countries can succeed in developing a wide degree of autonomy in AI -- a buzzy concept now known as "sovereign AI."

 

"In the age of artificial intelligence, falling behind by one day could mean falling behind by a whole generation," South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said this month in an address to lawmakers. "We are currently facing an urgent, life-or-death crisis."

 

The overall goal of sovereign AI is to build out a localized computing infrastructure and potentially possess domestic capabilities in everything from large-language model development and chipmaking to cloud storage and engineering talent. Many also hope to regulate and manage the data used and generated by AI on their own terms.

 

As one of the few countries outside the U.S. or China able to attempt a wide degree of AI autonomy, South Korea has emerged as a test case for sovereign AI. It has deep pockets, semiconductor know-how from homegrown firms like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, plus software expertise. And Lee, who took office in June, has provided the political willpower, pushing to triple the government's budget for AI development for next year to the equivalent of roughly $6.8 billion.

 

The U.S. and China are the current leaders in AI technology. Beijing often expresses a desire for tech self-reliance, though it hasn't yet focused much on exporting its best offerings. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has pledged to promote exports of a "full-stack" American AI technology package to allies, which includes Nvidia's high-end chips and software.

 

By building up domestic capabilities in AI, countries hope to make their mark in a critical technology and shift away from the dominance U.S. tech giants hold over AI, said Virpratap Vikram Singh, who specializes in cyber technologies and conflict at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a research institute based in London.

 

In various regions, there is "a growing hesitation" over becoming too dependent on U.S. tech behemoths, which authorities have found increasingly difficult to regulate, Vikram Singh said.

 

Countries also hope to build more resilience by having domestic AI capabilities and alternative service providers to turn to in case of potential disruptions, said Courtney Lang, who focuses on cybersecurity at the Information Technology Industry Council, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group.

 

Among the loudest champions of sovereign AI is Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang, whose company stands to benefit from heightened demand for the powerful graphic-processing units used in AI computing.

 

Worldwide spending on AI, including in services, software and infrastructure, is expected to hit $1.5 trillion this year, according to Gartner, a market-research firm, up roughly 50% from 2024. The total is forecast to exceed $2 trillion next year.

 

Countries looking to expand their AI capabilities face constraints, such as procuring sufficient power for data centers. A country's ability to build out a sovereign AI ecosystem may also depend on the terms set by the U.S., which dominates many key technologies linked to AI, Vikram Singh said.” [1]

 

EU is destroying quickly and partially it’s life-freezing regulations of AI and writing a letter: “Dear Santa, bring us something good. Bring us some AI.”

 

1. World News: More Countries Work To Build 'Sovereign AI'. Sohn, Jiyoung.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 25 Nov 2025: A9.