AI-integrated next-generation energy platform to be developed

122 researchers to participate in effort to secure national energy source technology

An aerial view of Sungkyunkwan University's Natural Sciences Campus. [Sungkyunkwan University]
An aerial view of Sungkyunkwan University's Natural Sciences Campus. [Sungkyunkwan University]

By Jung Joo-won, The Herald Business

Sungkyunkwan University has been selected for the government's National Research Laboratory (NRL 2.0) program, securing up to 95 billion won ($61.1 million) in research funding over 10 years. The university plans to develop a next-generation energy platform integrating AI and energy technology.

Sungkyunkwan University announced Thursday that its Sungkyun Intelligent Energy Solutions National Research Laboratory had been chosen for the NRL 2.0 program, a joint initiative of the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Education.

The NRL 2.0 program aims to foster university-affiliated research institutes capable of leading world-class basic research. Selected institutes receive up to 10 billion won annually, for a maximum of 95 billion won over 10 years.

Professor Park Nam-gyu will serve as director of the newly selected laboratory, which will build a next-generation intelligent energy platform combining energy production, storage and utilization technologies with AI and digital twin systems.

The laboratory will develop intelligent energy solutions for industrial settings by integrating high-efficiency solar cells, next-generation energy storage systems and AI-based digital twin technology. It will focus particularly on securing technology capable of delivering stable energy supply to facilities with highly variable power demands, such as AI data centers.

The laboratory's ultimate goal is to secure source technology for "sovereign energy" — foundational capabilities that go beyond energy self-sufficiency and carbon neutrality to underpin national energy security.

The research will involve 122 Sungkyunkwan University researchers across the fields of energy, semiconductors, AI, power and systems. Through convergence research, the university plans to cultivate core talent in future energy fields while expanding industry-academia cooperation and technology commercialization.

"Building on our strengths in basic and convergence research, we will grow this into a nationally representative laboratory that elevates South Korea's energy technology to the world's highest level," Park said. "Through the development of sovereign energy source technology integrating AI and energy, we will contribute to national energy security and industrial competitiveness."


jookapooka@heraldcorp.com