K Data Centers Hit the Export Trail... LG CNS Takes First Step in Indonesia

Construction of 30-MW AI Data Center Completed
Customer Secured as Well
SK Group and Samsung C&T Also Sign MOUs for Projects in Vietnam

LG CNS has completed construction of a 30-megawatt (MW) hyperscale AI data center (DC) in Indonesia, marking the first step toward South Korean companies winning overseas AIDC contracts.

On Nov. 2, LG CNS said it had completed construction of a hyperscale AIDC in Jakarta and secured a customer for the facility. The project was commissioned last year by KMG, a joint venture between Indonesia's Sinar Mas Group and Korea Investment Real Asset Management. LG CNS designed and built the center as scalable infrastructure capable of supporting high-performance computing based on next-generation graphics processing units (GPUs). Key technologies from LG Group affiliates were applied to the infrastructure, including LG Electronics' air conditioning systems and LG Energy Solution's batteries.

LG CNS President Hyun Shinkyun (second from left) and Sinar Mas Group Chairman Franky O. Widjaja (third from left) pose with executives at the completion ceremony for an AI data center in Jakarta, Indonesia, on the first (local time). LG CNS

LG CNS also built a power system capable of supplying 300 kilowatts (kW) per rack. That is about 60 times the power required by a typical data center rack, allowing stable power supply even when multiple GPUs are installed in a single rack. Taking into account the high heat output of AI servers, the company installed an air-cooling system that circulates air to lower indoor temperatures. A liquid-cooling system is planned for a subsequent phase. Once that phase is complete, the total power capacity will expand to 400 MW. The project also uses a prefabricated modular approach, in which major equipment is manufactured in advance and assembled on site. This is intended to shorten construction time and allow capacity and equipment to be adjusted flexibly to meet customer demand.

Building on its overseas construction experience gained through the Indonesian project, LG CNS is discussing AIDC development projects with local partners in other major Asia-Pacific countries. At a conference call, Yu Gi-ung, managing director of LG CNS's AI and Cloud Business Division, said, "We plan to step up our expansion into North American and European markets, drawing on our capabilities and supply chain for prefabricated modular data centers based on NVIDIA Vera Rubin."

South Korean companies are exploring opportunities to enter the AIDC market, particularly in Southeast Asia, where the use of AI and cloud services is growing rapidly.

In April, SK Telecom and SK Innovation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the government of Nghe An Province in Vietnam to jointly explore AIDC construction and related infrastructure projects. The two companies agreed to discuss plans to build an AIDC and infrastructure, including power facilities, in the province. Samsung C&T also signed an MOU with Vietnam's CMC Technology Group in August last year to build a data center in Ho Chi Minh City, in a project valued at $1 billion (about KRW 1.33 trillion). Samsung SDS is CMC's largest shareholder, holding about 30% of its shares. Samsung SDS acquired its stake in CMC through a strategic investment in 2019.

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