Samsung SDS breaks ground on AI data center in Gumi

Samsung SDS held a groundbreaking ceremony Monday for its AI data center in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, on the site of Samsung Electronics' former Campus 1 in Gongdan-dong.

About 250 people attended, including North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo, Gumi Mayor Kim Jang-ho, lawmakers Gu Ja-geun and Kang Myeong-gu, Samsung SDS CEO Lee Jun-hee, Samsung C&T Vice President Ji Hyeong-geun, and construction officials.

The ceremony marked the formal launch of a project that began to take shape in January, when North Gyeongsang Province, Gumi and Samsung SDS signed an MOU at CES 2026 — the world's largest IT and consumer electronics trade show — to build an AI data center in the Gumi National Industrial Complex.

The new data center will rise five floors above ground with one below on a roughly 47,000-square-meter site, equipped with 60-megawatt power infrastructure to meet demand for generative AI and cloud services.

Construction is scheduled for completion in December 2028, with full operation set to begin in March 2029.

North Gyeongsang Province and Gumi expect the project to generate jobs in construction, operations and facility management, foster AI and cloud talent in partnership with local universities, and create synergies with regional construction, electronics and semiconductor companies.

"I hope this first shovel for the Samsung SDS Gumi AI data center will lead the growth of Gumi's advanced industries and serve as a solid cornerstone for future industrial development," Gumi Mayor Kim said.

Governor Lee said the groundbreaking represented more than the construction of a single building. "Today's first shovel is the starting point for North Gyeongsang Province to redraw the industrial map of the AI era," he said, adding that the province would work to build an AI industry ecosystem through follow-on investment.