• LG Uplus has committed another KRW1.24 trillion to the project north of Seoul
  • The first building is due in June 2027, while the timing and scope of later phases remain unclear

The fact

LG Uplus plans to invest an additional KRW1.24 trillion, about US$896 million, in its AI data-centre project in Paju, north of Seoul, Mingtiandi reported. The South Korean telecom operator is developing the site as a campus with planned power capacity of 200MW.

LG said in June that construction of the first building was about 20% complete and that all available capacity in that building had been contracted. Completion is scheduled for June 2027. The site will use cooling, battery and electrical systems supplied or developed with other LG group companies and external partners. LG Uplus has not said how much capacity the new investment will fund or whether it will cover later buildings, shared infrastructure or both.

The assessment

The new capital gives LG Uplus more room to fund work beyond the first building. A campus of this size will need power distribution, cooling, backup systems and other shared infrastructure to be installed as additional data halls are developed.

The first building already has customers, but LG has not said whether later capacity has been contracted. The company must therefore decide how much supporting infrastructure to build in advance and how much construction to hold back until more demand is secured. For BTW readers, the first building is relatively clear: it has customers, a construction schedule and a completion date. LG has yet to provide the same detail for the rest of the campus.

What to watch

Watch for LG Uplus to say how much capacity the KRW1.24 trillion will support, when later buildings will begin and whether more customers have signed. New contracts for power, cooling and construction would show how the company plans to move beyond the first building.