Hyosung Group said Wednesday it has launched its first AI data center in Seoul with Singapore-based ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, targeting Korea’s rapidly growing data center market — projected to reach 20 trillion won ($13.2 billion) by 2030.
Hyosung-STT GDC, a joint venture between Hyosung Heavy Industries and STT GDC, on Tuesday opened STT Seoul 1, a hyperscale data center designed to support cloud computing and AI workloads, in Geumcheon-gu, southwestern Seoul.
The opening ceremony was attended by key executives and officials, including Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon, President and Group CEO of STT GDC Bruno Lopez, Rep. Park Ji-hye of the Democratic Party of Korea and Singapore Ambassador to Korea Wong Ka-Jiun.
Hyosung said STT Seoul 1 combines Hyosung Heavy Industries’ power infrastructure capabilities with STT GDC’s data center operating expertise across Asia and Europe. With up to 30 megawatts of IT capacity, the hyperscale facility can accommodate thousands of servers and AI accelerators, enabling large-scale cloud and AI deployments while supporting next-generation high-density computing workloads.
One of the facility’s key advantages is its ability to provide high-density IT capacity within Seoul, where power availability for large data centers is increasingly limited. Unlike many data centers being built outside the capital region due to power supply constraints and regulatory challenges, STT Seoul 1 is near major business districts such as Gangnam and Yeouido.
Notably, Hyosung Heavy Industries will provide power equipment and energy-efficiency technologies for the AI data center, and Hyosung ITX will leverage its IT expertise in cloud services, content delivery networks and digital transformation solutions to support operations and enhance reliability.
Cho’s push into the AI data center business dates back to 2017, when he established a dedicated task force to explore the sector as a future growth engine. That effort led to a partnership with STT GDC after Cho met the company's Group CEO Bruno Lopez in Seoul in 2019. Two years later, the two companies officially established Hyosung-STT GDC.
According to Hyosung, STT GDC’s extensive footprint of more than 100 data centers across 12 countries in Asia and Europe and 2.3 gigawatts of IT capacity made it an ideal partner.
Industry observers attribute the partnership to Cho’s proactive global leadership and broad network, built through years of engagement with business and government leaders worldwide.
Last year, he traveled to more than 10 countries, meeting key figures in the energy and technology sectors, including US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol and Oracle CEO Safra Catz, to discuss industry trends and potential cooperation in energy, AI and digital technologies.
hyejin2@heraldcorp.com