Samsung SDS Signs MOU with Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gumi to Establish AI Data Center in Gumi
□ Latest technology applied to hyperscale AI data center
- Hybrid cooling technology, combining air and liquid cooling, to address high heat
- High-density power supply enabled through server-room-level power and system configurations
□ Construction of new 60 MW data center -- collaboration officially announced at CES 2026
- Samsung SDS contributing to regional economic revitalization and AI infrastructure expansion
- Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gumi to support the smooth progress of the data center investment
On Wednesday, January 7th, Samsung SDS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and the Gumi City at CES 2026, the world’s largest IT exhibition in Las Vegas, US. The MOU aims to establish an AI data center in Gumi.
On that day, June-hee Lee, President and CEO of Samsung SDS; Jang-ho Kim, Mayor of Gumi; and Geum-hee Yang, Vice Governor for Economic Affairs of Gyeongsangbuk-do (attending on behalf of Governor Cheol-woo Lee), attended the MOU signing.
Samsung SDS will establish a 60 MW AI data center in Gumi, on the former site of Samsung Electronics Gumi Plant 1, acquired from the company in December 2024. The data center is scheduled to begin operations in March 2029.
By creating this data center, Samsung SDS will secure core infrastructure to meet rapidly growing AI demands, while contributing to the revitalization of Gumi’s regional economy and the expansion of the AI industrial ecosystem.
To create an operational environment for high-power IT equipment optimized for AI and GPU-centered services, the AI data center will be built as a flexible, scalable, and reliable hyperscale facility designed to meet future demands.
Samsung SDS will apply the latest technology to the cooling and power infrastructures to operate this hyperscale data center.
To address high heat generation in the server rooms, Samsung SDS will adopt a hybrid cooling technology that utilizes both air and liquid cooling within a single server room.
The hybrid cooling system will deliver chilled water directly to servers with high power consumption, such as those equipped with GPUs, while air cooling will be applied to equipment that generates relatively lower heat, such as networking and storage equipment. This approach will improve power efficiency while minimizing energy consumption.
Additionally, the server rooms will be designed to support racks with varying power densities to reliably accommodate ultra-high-power racks in the future.
With the MOU, Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gumi will provide administrative and institutional support to ensure the smooth execution of Samsung SDS’s investment plans for the AI data center in Gumi.
On January 2nd, Samsung SDS announced that it would invest KRW 427.3 billion to construct the AI data center.
The investment budget approved by the board of directors will be used to construct the data center building and facilities, with the possibility of additional investments to be made should AI infrastructure expansion be needed in the future.
June-hee Lee, President and CEO of Samsung SDS, said, “Through this AI data center investment, we will strengthen our competitiveness in AI infrastructure while contributing to the revitalization of Gumi’s regional economy and the development of its industrial ecosystem.”
Geum-hee Yang, Vice Governor for Economic Affairs of Gyeongsangbuk-do, stated, “Signing this MOU at CES 2026 is a meaningful achievement, clearly demonstrating to global markets and investors our competitiveness and commitment to making Gyeongsangbuk-do the optimal destination for AI infrastructure investment.”
Jang-ho Kim, Mayor of Gumi, said, “With this MOU, Gumi will take a step forward toward a hub for future industries based on AI infrastructure.”
