Abstract

This study examines Korea’s HPC Innovation Support Program, a public initiative that provides computational resources through Grand Research and Creative Research tracks. The program has broadened national research capacity but also reveals disparities, with strong utilization in fields such as earth sciences and chemistry and relatively low use in electrical and electronic engineering. These imbalances suggest the need for complementary measures including training, software support, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Beyond resource provision, the program represents an institutional mechanism for balancing equity and competitiveness in Korea’s research ecosystem. Although smaller in scale than HPC policies in the United States, Japan, or China, its transparent and structured procedures offer a meaningful benchmark model. Ultimately, the program should be seen not only as a technical infrastructure but as a strategic policy tool that strengthens equity, efficiency, and international competitiveness in the global AI–HPC era.