South Korea and Google have agreed to establish a major artificial intelligence campus in Seoul, marking what officials describe as the first facility of its kind for the U.S. tech giant. The announcement was made by a presidential policy adviser following high-level discussions between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Google DeepMind Chief Executive Officer Demis Hassabis during a meeting in the capital.
The planned AI campus is expected to serve as a joint development hub connecting Google engineers with South Korean researchers, startups, and major industrial firms. According to officials, the project will be formalized through a memorandum of understanding signed between the country’s Science Ministry and Google. As part of the discussions, South Korea has requested that at least 10 engineers be dispatched from Google’s U.S. headquarters to support operations at the new facility, a proposal Hassabis said he would consider.
During the meeting, President Lee and Hassabis reportedly exchanged views on the future of artificial intelligence and its wider impact on employment and society. Lee raised concerns about potential job displacement caused by AI advancement, suggesting the possible introduction of a base wage system as a policy response. In response, Hassabis emphasized the importance of education and skills development, stating that the initiative aims to train the next generation of AI specialists through internships and structured training programmes at the new hub.
The Google DeepMind chief also highlighted plans to deepen collaboration with leading South Korean conglomerates, including Samsung, SK Hynix, Hyundai’s Boston Dynamics, and LG, with the intention of launching joint research and development projects. He described South Korea as a strong industrial base in critical AI-related sectors such as semiconductors, robotics, and advanced manufacturing.
Officials also pointed to the historical significance of South Korea in the evolution of modern artificial intelligence, referencing the famous Go match between DeepMind’s AlphaGo system and Korean champion Lee Sedol a decade ago. That event, Hassabis noted, helped accelerate global AI development and influenced breakthroughs such as AlphaFold, which is used in protein structure prediction.
The new AI campus is being positioned as a strategic step in strengthening South Korea’s role in the global technology landscape while expanding Google’s international AI footprint through deeper integration with one of Asia’s most advanced industrial economies.