KT Cloud to Build 50MW AI Data Center in Incheon, Targets 1GW by 2031

KT Cloud is constructing a 50MW data center in the Cheongna district of Incheon, greater Seoul, South Korea, as the company accelerates its ambitions to become a major AI infrastructure provider in the capital region and beyond. The project underscores the growing race among South Korean cloud and telecom operators to secure large-scale capacity capable of supporting artificial intelligence workloads, which demand significantly higher power densities and advanced cooling than traditional cloud applications.

The company will serve as the design, build, and operate (DBO) partner for the project, according to a report by the Seoul Economic Daily. The facility will span two basement levels and 11 above-ground floors. Construction is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, with a target completion date of the first quarter of 2030. As the DBO partner, KT Cloud will run the data center and oversee its development, including design, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing works, and commissioning. Hyundai Engineering is serving as the joint contractor and will be responsible for architectural, civil, equipment, landscaping, and telecommunications works.

The data center will support both AI infrastructure and cloud workloads, and will feature a dedicated "AI zone" equipped with direct-to-chip liquid cooling, separated from the "cloud zone." KT Cloud said it would link the new facility to its other data centers in the region to meet expansion requirements from customers and improve network continuity.

"We expect the Cheongna AI data center to serve as a key hub in the western cluster of the capital region and to respond effectively to demand from domestic and overseas corporate customers that require large-scale AI infrastructure," said KT Cloud CEO Kim Bong-kyun. "We will continue to expand our AI data center supply base both inside and outside the capital region, and give concrete shape to our 1GW AI data center goal based on differentiated technological capabilities."

KT Cloud is targeting 1GW of data center capacity by 2031, a significant increase from its previously stated aim of 320MW by 2030. The company currently operates a 10MW data center in Yecheon-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, a 26MW facility in Seoul's Geumcheon District, and a 30MW data center in Dae Bong Dong. Datacenters.com lists 16 KT Cloud data centers across Korea. The Cheongna project represents a critical step toward the company's expanded capacity goals and reflects the broader trend of South Korean operators investing heavily in AI-ready infrastructure to compete for domestic and international hyperscale and enterprise customers.