The Ministry of Science and ICT has begun overhauling regulations to foster the artificial intelligence data center (AIDC) industry. The ministry said on the 18th in Seoul it held the first meeting of a research group to prepare subordinate statutes for the Special Act on the Promotion of the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Industry.
The AIDC special act, promulgated on the 9th, is a bill focused on streamlining permit and approval procedures needed to build AI data centers and easing related regulations to spur private investment. It establishes a one-stop integrated window, led by the Ministry of Science and ICT, to handle permits at once, and includes a timeout system that allows procedures to move forward if a decision by relevant agencies is not made within a set period.
The act also includes special cases for power and building regulations. If an AI data center of a certain size or smaller is newly built or expanded outside the greater Seoul area, or if an existing data center is converted into an AI data center, it can be exempted from a power system impact assessment. Facility-related regulations that had applied the same standards as general buildings—such as elevators, parking lots, and mandatory installation of artworks—can also be eased to suit the characteristics of AI data centers.
The special act also contains support measures to expand the industry base, including the legal definition of AI data centers, industry surveys, training of specialists, support for overseas expansion, and cooperation plans with local communities. Through this subordinate rulemaking, the government plans to spell out detailed standards so that the special cases and support programs set by law can operate in the field.
The Ministry of Science and ICT will run a research group with AI data center experts and legal experts to draft an enforcement decree and enforcement rules. In particular, it plans to broadly gather opinions from private corporations, relevant agencies, and stakeholders on key issues such as the scope of AI data centers and benchmarks for regulatory easing.
Choi Dong-won, director-general for AI infrastructure policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "The AIDC special act is an institutional foundation to bolster the competitiveness of domestic AI infrastructure and accelerate private data center investment," adding, "We will swiftly prepare effective subordinate statutes that work in the field by fully reflecting the views of relevant ministries and industry."