kt cloud is pursuing strategic technology cooperation with global AI infrastructure specialist Vertiv to build next-generation AI data centers (AIDCs). kt cloud announced on October 28 that it had signed a "Next-generation AI Data Center Strategic Technology Partnership" with Vertiv and would expand technology cooperation on core AI data center infrastructure, focusing on power, cooling and modular solutions. The partnership was pursued to secure core technologies needed for next-generation AI data centers in advance and strengthen construction and operating capabilities, as growing AI workloads and increasingly powerful, densely packed GPUs rapidly increase data center power and cooling demand. The companies will participate jointly from the design stage of AI data centers being pursued by kt cloud, reviewing compatibility among power infrastructure, liquid cooling and modular solutions in advance. Through this, they plan to design infrastructure optimized for high-density GPU environments and improve stability and efficiency during construction. They will also strengthen cooperation on cooling technologies to support high-density GPU infrastructure. The companies will jointly review ways to apply high-efficiency cooling technologies, including liquid cooling, and plan to continue technology cooperation on solutions that could be used in future next-generation AI data centers. In particular, kt cloud plans to introduce Vertiv's modular infrastructure solutions at its Gunsan AI data center to improve construction efficiency. One of the main solutions to be deployed, SmartRun, is a prefabricated solution that integrates key infrastructure, including power, cooling and networking, into a single structure manufactured in advance. It can reduce installation time by up to 85% compared with conventional on-site construction, shortening data center construction schedules and improving consistency in construction quality. It can also effectively meet the need for rapid infrastructure deployment and expansion in high-density AI environments. kt cloud plans to combine the data center capabilities it has accumulated through building and operating facilities including the Mokdong data center and Gasan AI data center with Vertiv's global power and cooling technologies and modular infrastructure solutions. Through this, it plans to improve its capabilities to design and build high-power, high-density AI infrastructure and actively use the companies' technology cooperation in future large-scale AI data center construction. Paul Churchill, Vertiv's vice president and general manager for Asia, said, "As AI workloads change rapidly, integrated infrastructure that can support them flexibly is becoming increasingly important. Through this cooperation, we will combine Vertiv's global technological capabilities with kt cloud's data center expertise to accelerate the construction of AI-optimized data centers and deliver stable, scalable infrastructure." Kim Bong-gyun, CEO of kt cloud, said, "As AI infrastructure rapidly becomes denser and more power-intensive, data center power and cooling technologies are becoming key factors determining the stability and scalability of AI services. By combining Vertiv's global technological capabilities with kt cloud's accumulated data center construction and operating capabilities, we will strengthen our technological competitiveness in next-generation AI infrastructure and reliably support KT Group's planned 1 GW AI data center expansion."
Original Korean article: ETNews
English brief by Korea Wind Intelligence, koreawindintel.com
