Four elite teams participating in the government's Independent AI Foundation Model project have all had their artificial intelligence (AI) models recognized as Notable Models by Epoch AI, a U.S.-based organization, during the first half of this year.

The Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) announced on Tuesday that Epoch AI has listed all AI models developed by the four elite teams as notable.

Epoch AI, a nonprofit AI research organization in the U.S., tracks development trends of major AI models worldwide.

The Notable Models recognized by Epoch AI serve as key indicators for assessing national AI competitiveness in the annual AI Index published by Stanford University's Human-Centered AI Institute (HAI). Last year's list included 59 models from the U.S., 35 from China, and 8 from South Korea.

Notably, as of this year, Epoch AI has recognized only three countries - the U.S., China, and South Korea - as having notable models.

The Independent AI Foundation Model project began with up to five elite teams and progresses through a competitive evaluation process.

In the first half of this year, the four teams developed their independent AI foundation models and released them as open source, despite facing relatively limited resources compared to global tech giants. The Ministry of Science and ICT stated that this achievement demonstrates South Korea's AI competitiveness and its ability to foster an open ecosystem.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Kyung-hoon Bae said that the independent AI models created with South Korean technology are proving their global competitiveness and potential. It will spare no effort to support outcomes that the public can experience, as it needs to compete on par with leading nations on a larger stage.

Four elite teams participating in the government's Independent AI Foundation Model project …

South Korea's AI Breakthrough: 4 Models Named Notable by Epoch AI in 2026