The Korea Post and the Korea Development Bank (KDB) are launching a jointly funded fund for the first time in approximately 20 years. The plan is to establish a 1 trillion won 'AI Infrastructure Fund' to support the nation's future strategic industries.

First Joint Fund Since 2006… Past Experience Investing in National Infrastructure

This marks the first time in about 20 years, since 2006, that the two organizations have established a joint fund. In the past, they co-invested in building national infrastructure, including Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Incheon International Airport Railroad, Shinbundang Line, and K-Power's power plant. Officials from both organizations, including Korea Postmaster General Park In-hwan and KDB Chairman Park Sang-jin, attended the signing ceremony held at KDB's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. The two sides agreed to expand financial cooperation by jointly identifying and investing in promising projects in the AI infrastructure sector.

Where Will the 1 Trillion Won Go?… Focus on Next-Generation Data Centers and Eco-Friendly Infrastructure

The fund will be concentrated in advanced infrastructure essential for building an AI ecosystem, such as next-generation data centers and eco-friendly energy infrastructure. It will also be utilized for key government initiatives currently underway, including the construction of ultra-high-performance AI computing centers, the expansion of data centers, and the reinforcement of power grids. In particular, it is expected to contribute to decentralizing data centers, which are currently concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, to non-metropolitan regions. Plans call for creating a convergence-type AI cluster that connects large-scale data centers with eco-friendly power grids in regions such as the southwestern area, which has abundant renewable energy potential. Through this, the two organizations expect to see effects in regional job creation, balanced national development, and enhanced AI competitiveness.

KDB stated that this fund will support the government's three major mega-projects (semiconductors, physical AI, and AI data centers) as well as key policies such as the southwestern region project. Korea Post also expressed its commitment to continuously expanding infrastructure investments to secure future growth engines, as an institution managing national assets.

Korea Postmaster General Park In-hwan emphasized, "AI is the core of national industrial competitiveness. We have entered an era where not only the performance of AI models but also how stably we secure AI infrastructure such as data centers and power grids determines national competitiveness." KDB Chairman Park Sang-jin also stated, "AI competitiveness depends on the rapid and stable construction of core infrastructure such as large-scale data centers and next-generation power grids," adding that he hopes this cooperation will serve as a catalyst for the Republic of Korea's digital transformation.