KISTI Launches Dedicated Cloud Network Service for AI Research

- Leveraging KREONET and NDeX to establish direct, high-speed, ultra-low latency network connections between public/research institutes and major cloud data centers

- Delivering cost savings through shared infrastructure utilization and enhanced security via isolated virtual private networks

□ The Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (President Sik Lee, hereafter KISTI) announced on August 27 that it is officially launching the "National Data Exchange in Korea (NDeX) Dedicated Cloud Network Service" to support domestic researchers in utilizing AI and cloud resources more rapidly and securely for their research activities.

 * NDeX (National Data Exchange in Korea): A high-speed dedicated inter-datacenter network built within KISTI’s KREONET. It connects three primary data exchange hub nodes, the Capital Area Hub Node (in LG Uplus Pyeongchon Mega Center), the Central Region Hub Node (KREONET Daejeon Network Center), and the Busan Region Hub Node (Busan Songjeong Global Hub Center), interconnected in a 600 Gbps mesh topology.

□ Unlike conventional public internet routes that traverse multiple intermediate hops, the NDeX Dedicated Cloud Network Service directly connects public and research institutions with cloud data centers via KREONET* and NDeX.

 * KREONET (Korea Research Environment Open NETwork): A national research backbone network delivering up to 1.2 Tbps bandwidth across 18 regional network centers. It is interconnected with approximately 30,000 research networks worldwide via international research network links.

□ Through this service, researchers across 197 institutions currently utilizing KREONET can access a fast, stable, high-throughput network optimized for large-scale data transfer upon subscribing to the cloud connection service.

□ This service was introduced to address the growing demand for high-performance AI infrastructure while easing financial, temporal, and spatial burdens associated with building on-premise infrastructure. It also mitigates data transfer bottlenecks and security threats typically encountered when using external commercial cloud resources.

□ In particular, by providing a Virtual Private Network (VPN) environment logically isolated from the public internet for each user, the service ensures the secure transmission of sensitive research data. Furthermore, participating institutions can eliminate the need to construct individual dedicated leased lines for cloud connectivity, preventing duplicate national fiscal investments through the shared use of existing infrastructure.

□ KISTI directly establishes the KREONET-based dedicated cloud network service and collaborates with client public/research institutions as well as Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to foster a robust service ecosystem.

□ In this collaborative model, KISTI provides virtual private network configuration and network security support, cloud providers deliver infrastructure and security services within data centers for client institutions, and participating institutions focus on deriving high-impact research outcomes.

□ As of August 2026, domestic and international cloud partners, including Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Elice Group, are actively collaborating to deliver this service.

□ Dr. Buseung Cho, Director of the KREONET Center at KISTI, stated, "This service operated by KREONET will serve as a 'Dedicated High-Speed AI Data Highway Network' supporting cloud utilization across the research and public sectors. Starting with two domestic and international cloud providers launching in August, we plan to continuously expand the network ecosystem."

□ Dr. Jungsuk Song, Director of the Division of Network Future Technology Research at KISTI, stated, "We will actively support domestic researchers so they can freely leverage network infrastructure without the burden of security, cost, or infrastructure construction, enabling them to conduct data-intensive AI research and elevate national technological competitiveness.“

□ Details regarding service utilization can be found on the official KREONET website (www.kreonet.net) and via dedicated customer support channels at participating partner companies.