A region-led framework to scale AI transformation (AX) across industrial complexes is now underway. On February 26, 2026, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) held the launch ceremony for the Industrial Complex AX Subcommittee, the 11th subcommittee under the M.AX Alliance, at the Changwon National Industrial Complex. Manufacturers, AI companies, universities, research institutes, and local governments attended the event and discussed the direction of the industrial complex AX and the subcommittee’s operating plan.

The new subcommittee brings together more than 500 institutions from industry, academia, and research, and is chaired by Park Min-won, President of Changwon National University. The subcommittee will coordinate industrial complex AX projects and policies, connect tenant firms with the Alliance’s 10 existing subcommittees, share best practices and on-the-ground challenges across complexes, and build a system to collect, share, and use manufacturing data. It will serve as a private sector–led platform that aligns regional growth strategies with M.AX policy and drives AX through industry–academia–research collaboration.

The Industrial Complex AX Subcommittee includes the chairs of 10 regional “M.AX Innovation Network in Industrial Complexes (MINI) Alliances” as subcommittee members. The MINI Alliances will serve as the subcommittee’s implementation arm and will be rolled out in phases—starting with the Changwon MINI Alliance launched the same day as the subcommittee—with further expansion depending on the designation of AX pilot industrial complexes. They will identify AX priorities tailored to local industries and develop demonstration models for immediate on-site use and wider adoption.

At the event, the government also released its Industrial Complex AX Strategy for Korea’s 1,341 industrial complexes and business clusters. The plan is tailored to specific industries and supply chains. The strategy aims to make them well-suited to scaling manufacturing AX and sets out three priorities to make industrial complexes the main hubs for this effort:

First, MOTIR will upgrade key regional industrial complexes into M.AX clusters and support anchor firms under the “Five Mega-Regions and Three Special Self-Governing Provinces” initiative in building world-leading lights-out manufacturing facilities, foster AX ecosystems within those complexes, and integrate them with mega regulatory sandbox districts. MOTIR will also select three additional AX pilot industrial complexes in 2026 to build demonstration testbeds and integrated support centers for large-scale AI deployment.

Second, MOTIR will build an industry–academia–research ecosystem around industrial complexes to develop and deploy shared AI models for tenant firms. It will also run regular M.AX Caravan programs to match manufacturers with AI specialists. In addition, the ministry will work with local universities on demand-driven R&D and workforce training.

Third, MOTIR will expand essential infrastructure for industrial complex AX by continuing to attract AI data centers—following the 2025 placements in the Osong Industrial Complex and the Busan Myeongji–Noksan National Industrial Complex—and building dedicated 5G networks. The ministry will pilot the 5G network in one industrial complex in 2026 before scaling it nationwide.

Minister JK (Jung-Kwan) Kim said, “Industrial complex AX goes beyond individual companies adopting AI. The focus is on testing and scaling AI innovation models through industry–academia–research collaboration within industrial complexes.” He added, “The Industrial Complex AX Subcommittee will serve as a platform to support regional growth and deliver tangible M.AX results.”

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MOTIR press release edited by David Kendall