South Korea has unveiled a strategy to share extensive military data with defence firms to accelerate AI-powered weapon systems, inspired by US military cloud initiatives. Plans include a national public-private fund to finance innovation and bolster the country's defence tech prowess.

A specialised working group of around 30 experts, including participants from the Defence Acquisition Program Administration, is drafting standards for safety and reliability in AI weapon systems. Their work aims to lay the foundations for the responsible integration of AI into defence hardware.

Officials highlight the need to merge classified military databases into a consolidated defence cloud, moving away from siloed systems. This model follows the tiered cloud framework adopted by the US, enabling more agile collaboration between the military and industry.

South Korea is also fast-tracking development across core defence domains, such as autonomous drones, command-and-control systems, AI-enabled surveillance, and cyber operations. These efforts are underpinned by the recently established Defence AI Centre, positioning the country at the forefront of Asia's military AI race.