The Korean city of Pohang has secured central‑government backing for a new initiative that aims to turn the region into a leading hub for graphene and other two‑dimensional materials. The project centers on an AI‑enabled manufacturing and demonstration platform that will support both R&D and commercialization activities.
The plan is led by North Gyeongsang Province, Pohang City and POSTECH’s Nano Convergence Technology Institute, and has been selected under Korea’s Industrial Innovation Infrastructure Program run by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE). Total planned funding is reported at around 14.3 billion KRW (approximately 10.4 million USD) spread over the 2026-2030 period.
A new facility is set to be built near POSTECH in Pohang’s Jigok‑dong district. It will host pilot lines and test infrastructure for applications such as electronics, sensors, energy storage and other advanced material systems based on graphene and 2D nanomaterials. A central element is a “K‑Graphene Foundry” - a shared manufacturing platform intended to provide contract production of graphene materials tailored to customer needs, echoing the foundry model used in the semiconductor industry.
On the technology side, the partners plan to develop an AI‑based system that integrates process and metrology data from graphene production. The goal is to use data‑driven optimization for process control, quality assurance and yield improvement - key bottlenecks on the way from lab‑scale graphene to reliable industrial supply.
Local authorities view the project as a strategic building block in their long‑term effort to establish Pohang as Korea’s main graphene cluster, alongside existing initiatives in the area such as large‑scale graphene film production and the broader “Graphene Valley” concept. The city hopes the new platform will help attract more graphene‑related companies, support startups and training programs, and strengthen Korea’s position in advanced materials for semiconductors, batteries, aerospace and other high‑tech sectors.
