"Korea Is Now Building Its AI Computing Capital Next to Semiconductors"

AI Mega-Zone Grand Strategy Connecting Ulsan-Jeonnam-Gumi-Yongin-Pyeongtaek-Sejong-Chuncheon

As of 2025, Korea is emerging as the country building "AI computing national infrastructure" at the world's fastest speed — not simply expanding data centers but closer to an industrial infrastructure transformation connecting AI model training, inference, deployment, manufacturing, robots, and autonomous driving on one axis.

Korea's AI data centers are positioned not for capital region decongestion but strategically based on energy infrastructure, power supply, undersea cables, and AI semiconductor supply chains. Three regional zones have emerged:

(1) Southern Zone (Power/Port-based GPU Hub): SKT×AWS Ulsan 100MW hyperscale data center (2027); Jeonnam National AI Computing Center with 15,000 GPUs (Samsung SDS); Busan/Gimhae KT/LGU+ undersea cable-based data centers. Optimized for large-scale GPU concentration based on power infrastructure and port competitiveness.

(2) Central Zone (Semiconductor-National Grid-connected AI-Chip-Manufacturing Complex Cluster): SK Hynix in Yongin; Samsung in Pyeongtaek; Sejong/Daejeon national research network and government AI infrastructure. Korea's only region where semiconductor production → AI data centers → manufacturing automation (smart factory) directly connect.

(3) Capital/Gangwon Zone (Software/Research/Service-centered AI Hub): Naver Chuncheon 2nd/3rd data centers; Kakao Ansan "Titan Center" (8,000 racks); KT Yongsan/Gasan backbone routing data centers. AI service/web platform/gaming/advertising/mobility data concentration area.

Key strategic significance: Samsung's AI data center (Gumi) marks the inflection point where manufacturing city Gumi transforms into an "AI infrastructure city." OpenAI is reportedly reviewing construction of AI data centers in Korea's southwest — symbolically showing Korea rising as a core base in the global AI competitive structure. Korea's data centers are moving toward a "southern-central-capital" triangle axis based on power, semiconductor supply chains, and national grid connectivity rather than capital concentration.