South Korea Breaks Ground on National AI Computing Center

South Korea's National AI Computing Center (KOACC) broke ground today at the Solar City data center complex in Haenam County, South Jeolla Province, with completion targeted for 2028. The total investment is 2.5 trillion won (about 11.8 billion RMB). The project is jointly funded by Samsung SDS, NAVER Cloud, Samsung Electronics, Kakao, and KT Group, forming the KOACC consortium. In the shareholding structure, Samsung SDS holds 30% as the largest shareholder, while South Korean government agencies hold a combined 29%, and NAVER Cloud holds 26.1%.

The center will provide high-performance and cost-effective AI computing facilities globally and include an R&D zone for validating domestically produced NPUs, aiming to boost South Korea's AI and semiconductor industries.