Donghae breaks ground on Korea's first large-scale AI data center, eyes Northeast Asian AI hub status

Donghae, the East Coast city breaking ground on South Korea's first large-scale AI data center, will host a public forum Thursday afternoon at the Donghae Youth Center performance hall. Titled "An Accelerating Society: The Future of Donghae with an AI Data Center," the event is open to all.

The AI data center is expected to anchor a vast ecosystem drawing together major domestic conglomerates, global players, game-changers, first- through third-tier suppliers, research institutions, related industries, and lifestyle, culture and tourism businesses — all connected through AI technology infrastructure — transforming Donghae into a leading AI hub city for the Northeast Asian era.

The forum was organized in response to an era in which AI is accelerating change across industry and society. It aims to leverage the 2.4-gigawatt AI data center infrastructure now moving into full development as a new engine of regional growth, and to chart a future growth strategy for Donghae.

The city has been pushing the project forward at pace, holding public briefings on underground cable construction to keep residents informed and completing the first-stage building permit while systematically reviewing core infrastructure requirements.

With community briefings on campus development still ahead, the forum will also discuss how to go beyond treating the data center as a mere data-processing facility — using it instead as a driving force for AI transformation of traditional industries and an overhaul of the city's urban infrastructure, in line with the ongoing buildout.

"For the AI data center infrastructure to become a true engine of growth for our region, what matters is not just building the facility but embedding AI across local industries and the city as a whole," Donghae Mayor Lee Jeong-hak said. "I hope this forum will be a meaningful occasion to explore Donghae's potential for innovative development and build a shared vision with our citizens."

The city of Donghae and Hallym University are co-hosting the event, with the Gangwon Research Institute and the Gangwon Council of Science and Technology Associations serving as organizers. It will feature two thematic presentations followed by a panel discussion with designated experts.

The presentations will cover the concept of an accelerating society and AI data centers, domestic and international case studies of data center development and use, and strategies for integrating AI data center capabilities into Donghae's development.

Speakers will examine the fundamental role of AI data centers in an accelerating society and outline strategic directions for linking that role to Donghae's industrial and urban growth in practical terms.

The panel discussion will bring together experts and stakeholders from industry, academia and government to debate how to strengthen regional industrial competitiveness through the data center and to sketch out a vision for Donghae's future.