Announcing the outcomes of a third bidding on the National AI Computing Center Project on Oct. 21, the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) said Samsung SDS was the sole bidder of the project.
The 2.5 trillion won project bidding failed twice, but as the government eased conditions, a participating company has been secured.
The National AI Computing Center is considered national infrastructure for developing AI learning and services, considered as a core part of the government’s plan to build an AI expressway.
A consortium, led by Samsung SDS, has designated Solaseado Data Center Park in Haenam, Jeollanam-do, as its site and platform companies, telecom service providers and cloud companies, such as Kakao, KT and Naver Cloud have joined the consortium.
In the case of a sole bidder, MSIT will conduct technology and policy evaluation and financial scrutiny to verify competence.
The project is to be in full swing after a joint public-private sector special purpose company is established in the first half of next year.
The government aims to make Korea a global AI top-three powerhouse by spurring the private sector’s AI infrastructure investment and building a world-class AI R&D environment. It plans to secure 15,000 GPUs by 2028 and expand them on a gradual basis by 2030.
It will cost more than 2 trillion won in public-private sector contributions and policy financing.
With the establishment of the National AI Computing Center, the Korean AI ecosystem is predicted to grow fast with a focus on collaboration between the public and private sectors.
The consortium, led by Samsung SDS, is expected to play leading roles in securing the competitiveness of global AI services based on data center and GPU infrastructure.
Samsung SDS President Lee June-hee and S-OIL President Ryu yul pose for a photo after they signed a contract on IT outsourcing (ITO) at S-OIL headquarters on Nov. 14. (Photo: Samsung SDS)
Samsung SDS Strikes ITO Contract with S-OIL
Samsung SDS signed a contract on IT outsourcing (ITO) with S-OIL with executives of both sides in attendance at S-OIL headquarters on Nov. 14.
Under the agreement, Samsung SDS will integrate, operate and manage IT infrastructure and the whole application, including the data center of S-OIL, for three years from March 2026 until 2029.
Samsung SDS will offer integrated operation services on the whole IT sector of S-OIL based on the nation’s top-tier IT operation experiences and expertise.
Samsung SDS also plans to accelerate digital transformation of S-OIL through IT governance upgrade, customized IT diagnosis and consulting and support for cloud transition.
S-OIL has so far operated infrastructure and application separately.
The refinery company has been seeking to transition to an integrated ITO regime to cope with technology environment changes and ramp up service competitiveness.
The deal will allow S-OIL to accelerate efforts to build a digital ecosystem based on reinforced security infrastructure on top of strengthening of operation efficiency and safety.
S-OIL President Ryu yul said, “The signing of the integrated ITO contract with Samsung SDS is a first, significant step of S-OIL’s digital innovation, and we are expected to maximize the stability and efficiency of operating IT services through cooperation with Samsung SDS and aggressively cope with rapidly changing business environment conditions.”
Samsung SDS President Lee June-hee said, “The contract is the starting point of a partnership under which the two companies will open the future, and Samsung SDS will create synergetic effects through cooperation with S-OIL and further ramp up competitiveness in the global market.”
Samsung Posts 3.39 Trillion Won in Q3 Sales
Samsung SDS announced its preliminary business performances for the third quarter of this year by chalking up 3,391.3 billion won in sales and 232.3 billion won in operating profit.
The company saw sales in the IT service business stand at 1,595.7 billion won, a 2.1 percent year-on-year decline, but sales in the cloud business soar 5.9 percent year-on-year to 674.6 billion won, a steady growth.
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