INFRASTRUCTURE
One of the world’ s largest AI data centres is expected to be built in the Republic of Korea by 2028. Set to be the biggest AI data centre by capacity, the proposed new data centre has received an initial revenue of US $ 3.5bn and is set to go ahead sometime this year. The project will be undertaken by Fir Hills Inc, which is part of the investment company Stock Farm Road( SFR), which is a new venture co-founded by LG tycoon Brian Koo and Dr Amin Badr-El-Din.
Both men are behind a host of technology, energy and public-private partnerships around the world and are working with the Jeollanam-do government in South Korea to develop the project. In February 2025, they signed a memorandum of understanding( MoU) with Governor Kim Yung-Rok of Jeollanam-do Province.
Kim Yung-Rok stated:“ This project is not just about economic growth; it’ s about positioning Jeollanam-do as a global leader in innovation and creating a brighter future for our citizens.”
Making South Korea a data centre superpower Initially, the data centre project size is estimated at north of US $ 10bn( 15 trillion KRW) and holds the potential to reach US $ 35bn( 50 trillion KRW).
Such a groundbreaking initiative hopes to establish one of the world’ s largest AI data centres, featuring advanced cooling infrastructure, regional and
THE KEY FACTS
• Companies involved: Fir Hills Inc( Part of Stock Farm Road) and Jeollanamdo Government( part of the Republic of Korea)
• Location: Jeollanam-do, South Korea
• US $ 3.5bn initial revenue
• 10,000 new jobs created
• 2025 commencement
• Capacity: 3GW +
international fibre bandwidth and the ability to handle significant and sudden variations in energy load.
Already, South Korea is a global digital powerhouse and invests heavily in emerging technologies such as semiconductors, next-generation networks, AI, big data and quantum computing. Now, this Jeollanam-do data centre project aims to serve as a foundation for next-generation
114 April 2025