Hyundai Motor Group Plans 9 Trillion Won Investment in AI Data Center
Key Facts
The group said it will establish two special-purpose companies next month to oversee the project’s execution and operate its services. This corrects the investment figure attributed to the center in the initial version of the story, as the 9 trillion won includes the center and other projects in Saemangeum. Five group affiliates have finalized investment decisions for the data center: Hyundai Motor, Kia, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Hyundai AutoEver. The project places computing infrastructure within the group’s plan to develop AI, robotics and energy activities in the region.
The two new companies will divide the work between building infrastructure and providing computing capacity. One will build a hyperscale data center and equip the infrastructure needed for it. The other will purchase high-performance graphics processing units, then provide the computing services on which the center’s operations rely. This division combines investment in the physical facility with securing the equipment and services needed to operate it. The companies are part of project arrangements the group is working to complete before construction begins as scheduled.
The group plans to use the center to train and test autonomous-driving software around the clock, as well as train robots in virtual environments and support vehicle research and development. This gives the facility a role beyond hosting computing infrastructure, providing an environment for development and testing in automotive and robotics activities. According to the architectural plan published by the Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency, the site covers 150,312 square meters, while total floor area will reach 101,950 square meters. The building will have two above-ground floors. These figures offer a sense of the planned facility’s scale alongside its research and technical functions.
The data center is part of the broader Saemangeum cluster, which also includes a robotics manufacturing complex and projects for solar energy, hydrogen production, and a hydrogen and AI city. In February, the group presented an investment plan across five areas: the data center, robotics manufacturing, a hydrogen electrolysis plant, solar energy, and a smart hydrogen and AI city. Hyundai estimated that the Saemangeum plan could generate an economic impact of 16 trillion won and provide about 71,000 jobs. Group Vice Chairman Chang Jae-hoon said when announcing the memorandum of understanding that what the company is building “will reshape the region and the future of industry in Korea.” The vision reflects the group’s positioning of the project as part of a broader industrial and technology investment beyond the data center alone.
As an implementation step, the group opened a field office in Gunsan on Friday to handle permits, construction work and communication with government agencies. Group Vice Chairman Shin Seong-kyu said the office is “a symbol of our determination to move forward with the project without backing down.” The group is discussing technical cooperation with global companies and working to arrange financing with state-run Korea Development Bank and other lenders. The Saemangeum agency previously formed an architectural review committee of 30 members, including 25 private-sector experts and five ex officio members. Construction is scheduled to begin in March 2027, with full operations to start in early 2030.