Bangladesh has asked the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for funding for an indicative $250 million program to develop the country's first native Bangla-language AI model, strengthen cybersecurity and set up technology villages. South Korea may co-finance it.
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury led a high-level delegation to Seoul earlier this month, where it met leading South Korean technology firms to discuss Bangla-language AI, computing infrastructure and practical applications.
Qingfeng Zhang, ADB country director for Bangladesh, said the bank and the government are discussing the indicative program. He said the financing structure and implementation schedule are still being developed, and that the government is expected to submit a consolidated funding request by mid-December.
A cybersecurity project is already in preparation, with ADB targeting approval in 2027. Investments in AI and technology villages could follow in phases, subject to technical studies and consultations with Korean partners. No approval date for the full package has been agreed.
The Export-Import Bank of Korea has expressed interest in co-financing. An existing ADB-Korea framework includes a sovereign co-financing program through 2027 covering information and communications technology, but financing for the proposed AI investments has not been agreed.
Other possible partners discussed in Seoul include LG AI Research, which could help build a Bangla large language model using its EXAONE model; FuriosaAI, for specialized chips that make AI processing more cost- and energy-efficient; and NAVER, for expertise in data centers and cloud infrastructure. The ADB's Korea-backed Center for AI Innovation and Development could offer technical expertise, project design and talent development.
ADB officials described the Seoul visit as the first international outreach for Bangladesh's Integrated Growth Network Development initiative, which envisages about $80 billion in investment over 20 years. The ADB is committing up to $5 billion over five years.
