Hanwha's construction division said on the 12th it will take part in a state-backed energy-efficiency research project led by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and Korea Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP).
Drawing on its data center design and construction experience, Hanwha's construction division will carry out field application and demonstration for three tasks: ▲ data center demand resource utilization ▲ development of a high-efficiency modular uninterruptible power supply (UPS) ▲ direct liquid cooling technology for high-density artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
This research project is being conducted by an industry-academia-research consortium including Hanwha's construction division, Ion, Hanyang University, and the Korea Electronics Technology Institute, with a total accumulated budget of 43.8 billion won for the three tasks.
The data center demand resource utilization task uses AI to predict server power consumption and cooling loads and to control power use. Hanwha's construction division will review power systems, facility configurations, and operating conditions, aiming to cut peak energy use by more than 10%.
It will also conduct a demonstration of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology using the ceiling-mounted electric vehicle charging system "EV Air Station" developed by Hanwha's construction division. The method supplies power stored in EV batteries back to the grid, and the company plans to review the potential use of power supply through EV charging infrastructure in the future.
The high-efficiency modular UPS development task enables maintenance without shutting down data center operations and reduces power losses. It aims to raise power conversion efficiency from about 90% to as high as 97.5%.
It will also participate in research on direct liquid cooling technology for high-density AI servers. The technology removes heat by bringing liquid into direct contact with the heat source, aiming to cut cooling power consumption by more than up to 90% compared with conventional air cooling.
Hanwha's construction division said it has carried out 13 projects to date in the data center field, including the Changwon defense AI data center and the Ansan Kakao data center.
Kim Min-seok, head of the building business division at Hanwha's construction unit, said, "This state-backed project will serve as a springboard to expand the data center business from design and construction into the energy field and to accelerate the adoption of bidirectional charging technology using ceiling-mounted EV chargers," adding, "We will strengthen our capabilities to build data centers with higher energy efficiency and operational stability."