South Chungcheong Province attracted a 1.2405 trillion won AI (artificial intelligence) data center to Dangjin.
The province said on the 9th that it signed an investment memorandum of understanding (MOU) in the provincial government situation room with the city of Dangjin, EFD, and NFD Korea to build an AI data center.
Park Soo-hyun, governor of South Chungcheong Province, Dangjin Mayor Kim Gi-jae, EFD CEO Choi Jeong-yeol, and NFD Korea CEO Choi Jae-woo attended the signing ceremony.
Under the agreement, EFD will invest 1.2405 trillion won from this month through 2029 to build a 100 MW AI data center on a 35,239-square-meter site in the Songsan 2 General Industrial Complex in Dangjin. The project will create 80 new jobs, with priority hiring for local talent.
NFD Korea, a company specializing in data center development and operations, will cooperate in advancing the project based on its experience in building data centers and permitting capabilities. It has secured the project site, submitted a 100 MW power system impact assessment to Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), and is proceeding with building permits.
The province said the data center investment will not only strengthen Dangjin's industrial base but also help expand the regional AI industrial ecosystem and attract related corporations and talent. The plan is to nurture and use the data center not as a simple information technology infrastructure but as an industrial innovation hub where corporations, universities, and research institutes grow together.
Park Soo-hyun said, "By gathering the beats of the 'data heart,' which has begun to throb here and there across the province with this investment, we will inject momentum into an artificial intelligence transformation (AX) across industries," adding, "We will accelerate AI investment through 'three-power innovation' and 'lightspeed administration.'"
He added, "The great AI transition depends on three powers—stable electricity, sufficient water resources, and professional talent—so we will expand the power grid and water infrastructure and actively cultivate tailored talent," adding, "We will open the future by adding more AI factories to South Chungcheong, which has supported Korea's manufacturing."