Doosan to Expand CCL Production for AI Data Center Optical Modules... Invests 399.2 Billion Won in Gimje

Production lines to begin operations in phases starting in the second half of 2028

Doosan Corporation is moving to expand its production capacity for high-value copper-clad laminate (CCL) for optical modules, demand for which is surging as AI data centers proliferate. The company plans to invest 399.2 billion won in Gimje, Jeonbuk State, to build a dedicated production facility and increase supplies of key materials required for high-speed data transmission in AI semiconductors.

Kim Inuk, head of Doosan Corporation’s Electronic BG (second from left), poses for a commemorative photo with Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Governor Lee Won-taek (far left) and Gimje Mayor Jeong Seong-ju at a signing ceremony for an investment agreement to build a dedicated production line for copper-clad laminate (CCL) for optical modules, held at the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Government Office on the 27th. Doosan Corporation

Doosan said on the 27th that it had signed an investment agreement with Jeonbuk State and Gimje City to build a dedicated production line for CCL for optical modules. The signing ceremony, held at the Jeonbuk State Government Office, was attended by Jeonbuk State Governor Lee Won-taek, Gimje Mayor Jeong Seong-ju, and Kim Inwook, head of Doosan Corporation’s Electronics Business Group.

The investment fleshes out the expansion of the Gimje plant under an investment plan worth about 970 billion won that Doosan announced last September. The company will invest 399.2 billion won through 2028 to build a new CCL production facility for optical modules, with a total floor area of approximately 10,000 pyeong, near its existing flexible copper-clad laminate (FCCL) plant in the Jipyeongseon General Industrial Complex in Gimje. The project is expected to create about 200 jobs, and the production lines are scheduled to begin operations in phases starting in the second half of 2028.

The expansion is intended to meet rising demand for CCL for optical modules as AI data centers grow. Doosan’s domestic production lines are currently operating at more than 100% capacity. The company plans to use the new facility to secure substantial supply capacity to meet the medium- to long-term needs of major customers.

Optical modules are components that transmit data between servers and network equipment by converting electrical signals into optical signals. CCL is a key material used in printed circuit boards (PCBs), and CCL for optical modules requires technology that minimizes signal loss during ultra-high-speed transmission. Doosan Corporation supplies high-performance CCL used in high-speed optical modules with speeds of 800 gigabits per second (Gbps) or more.

“Demand for CCL for optical modules is growing rapidly as AI data centers expand, and we made this expansion decision based on the medium- to long-term needs of our major customers,” said Kim Inwook, head of Doosan Corporation’s Electronics Business Group. “We will develop the Gimje plant into a key production hub for CCL for optical modules and supply the quantities our customers need on time.”

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