Ulsan mayor steps up corporate outreach to drive AI industrial transformation

Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-uk is mounting an aggressive corporate outreach campaign to attract investment for "industrial AI transformation," a flagship policy initiative of his administration. After visiting HD Hyundai's Global R&D Center and Samsung SDI's headquarters on Tuesday, Kim was scheduled Wednesday to call on SK Group and S-OIL at their respective Seoul offices to discuss investment cooperation.

At 11 a.m. Wednesday, Kim was set to meet SK Supex Council Chairman Chey Chang-won, SK Telecom President Jeong Jae-heon, SK Hynix Communications President Yeom Seong-jin and SK Gas CEO Yoon Byeong-seok at SK's Seolin Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The talks were to focus on SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won's June 29 announcement — made at a national briefing on three mega-projects for South Korea's economic leap — of plans to invest in a 1-gigawatt AI data center in Ulsan.

Kim planned to propose a range of cooperative initiatives aimed at positioning Ulsan as a hub for AI talent development spanning the southwestern and Daegu-Gyeongbuk regions, including contract degree programs in semiconductors and AI data centers and the creation of a startup ecosystem centered on industrial AI transformation.

He also intended to discuss providing cloud credits — shared access to AI data center resources — for small and medium-sized enterprises and startups in Ulsan, as well as building an open innovation hub for industrial AI transformation in the city to serve venture companies across the southeastern region.

Later, at 2 p.m., Kim was to visit S-OIL's headquarters in Mapo-gu, Seoul, where he planned to meet CEO Anwar A. Al-Hizazi, Operations President Park Bong-su and other executives to propose relocating the company's headquarters to Ulsan and to urge follow-up investment tied to the "Shaheen Project" — a 9.258 trillion won ($6.15 billion) venture set to begin commercial operations early next year.

"These visits to corporate headquarters are meant to examine the role Ulsan must play as companies pursue large-scale investment projects alongside the industrial AI transformation of local businesses," Kim said. "Since speed and execution are critical to investment, we will work to create an environment where companies want to invest."