US Big Tech Eyes South Korean Data Center Projects Amid Concerns Over US AI Investment

At a glance

After the US midterm elections, investment in AI data centers has become uncertain, drawing attention to the domestic data center projects of major US tech companies. AWS, Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Nvidia are each pursuing infrastructure plans in South Korea.

Key points

1. 1

   AWS is building an AI data center in Ulsan with the SK Group and aims to begin partial operations by the end of next year.

2. 2

   Microsoft is reportedly pursuing a third data center in Busan, but whether construction has actually started has not been confirmed.

3. 3

   OpenAI and Anthropic are discussing building data centers in Korea with companies such as Samsung and SK. Anthropic has signed a memorandum of understanding (a document stating an intention to cooperate officially) with…

4. 4

   Nvidia is participating in Naver's AI factory project (a large-scale facility that processes AI computations) by supplying GPUs (high-performance chips used for AI calculations) and making an equity investment.

Why it matters

How far foreign companies' investments in Korea's AI infrastructure actually go could affect domestic industry as well as power and land planning.