The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bae Kyung-hoon) and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE, Minister Kim Sungwhan) announced that they will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the afternoon of May 12 at the Government Complex Seoul to strengthen interministerial cooperation for ensuring a stable power supply to AI data centers (AIDCs).

Amid intensifying global competition to secure AI data centers, which are the core infrastructure of the artificial intelligence era, Korea is actively pursuing the acquisition of large-scale graphics processing units (GPUs) and the construction of AIDCs through public-private collaboration. At the same time, a growing number of overseas companies are expanding partnerships and investments with Korean firms to establish AIDCs in the country.

The Special Act on the Promotion of the AI Data Center Industry, which passed the National Assembly plenary session on May 7, was introduced to provide the systematic government support and regulatory easing needed to ensure that these efforts lead to the successful expansion of AI infrastructure.

The MOU was signed as a follow-up measure to the passage of the special act, with the aim of establishing a sustained and close cooperation framework between the MSIT and the MCEE to ensure a stable power supply for AIDCs.

On this day, Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon and Minister Kim Sungwhan agreed to: ensure the swift and stable supply of electricity through the national power grid for AIDCs being promoted as a national priority; and jointly establish and operate a dedicated task force (TF) between the two ministries to cooperate in responding to future demand for the construction of large-scale gigawatt (GW)-class AIDCs in Korea.

Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon stated, “This memorandum of understanding will further accelerate Korea’s efforts to secure AI infrastructure and solidify its leap toward becoming one of the world’s top three AI powers.” He added, “We will work to develop policies that the AI data center industry can tangibly benefit from.”

Minister Kim Sungwhan stated, “Ensuring the timely and stable supply of electricity is currently the most critical task in building AI data centers, and Korea’s advanced power system will serve as a strong competitive advantage in expanding AI infrastructure.” He added, “We will accelerate the energy transition centered on renewable energy to strengthen energy security and establish a power industry structure that supports the growth of advanced industries, including AI data centers.”

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