Korea Development Bank and Korea Post to Launch 1 Trillion Won AI Infrastructure Fund

Joint Investment After 20 Years
Supporting Three Major Mega Projects:
Semiconductors, Physical AI, and Data Centers
Building an AI Cluster in the Southwestern Region
Decentralizing Data Centers and Promoting Balanced National Development

Korea Development Bank and Korea Post are forming a joint investment fund worth 1 trillion won to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and eco-friendly energy infrastructure. This marks the first time in 20 years since the two organizations last collaborated on a joint investment, which was in 2006.

According to an announcement by Korea Development Bank on August 6, the bank held a signing ceremony on August 5 at its Yeouido headquarters in Seoul with Korea Post, which operates under the Ministry of Science and ICT, to establish a "Financial Business Agreement for Building AI Infrastructure Financial Cooperation." Attendees included Sangjin Park, Chairman of Korea Development Bank, and Inhwan Park, Director General of Korea Post. The two institutions agreed to expand cooperation across the financial sector, including jointly identifying and investing in promising AI infrastructure projects.

Building on this agreement, the two organizations will create a joint investment fund tentatively named the "AI Infrastructure Fund," with a total value of 1 trillion won. Through this fund, they plan to pursue large-scale investments necessary to build the national AI infrastructure ecosystem, including next-generation data centers and eco-friendly energy infrastructure. This marks the first time since 2006 that Korea Development Bank and Korea Post have formed a joint fund. Back then, they created funds totaling 1 trillion won: an education fund of 200 billion won, a railway fund of 500 billion won, and a power generation fund of 300 billion won. These funds supported the expansion of national infrastructure, such as Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Incheon International Airport Railroad, Shinbundang Subway Line, and K-Power power plant.

Korea Development Bank plans to utilize this fund to support the government-led "Three Major Mega Projects"—semiconductors, physical AI, and AI data centers—as well as projects in the southwestern region. The aim is to increase investments in infrastructure that forms the foundation of the AI industry, aligning with the government’s digital transformation policy and the drive to revitalize productive finance.

In particular, the two institutions plan to establish convergence-type AI clusters by linking eco-friendly power grids with large-scale data centers in non-capital regions, such as the southwest, which have significant renewable energy potential. Their goal is to decentralize data centers concentrated in the capital area to regional locations and to create related industries and quality jobs, thereby contributing to balanced national development. Sangjin Park, Chairman of Korea Development Bank, stated, "AI competitiveness depends on how rapidly and securely core infrastructure—such as large-scale data centers and next-generation power grids—can be established. I hope this agreement will serve as a catalyst, becoming a model of cooperation that drives Korea’s digital transformation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.