South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT gathered views from industry and academia to draw up detailed standards for the "Special Act on Promoting the AI Data Center Industry" set to take effect next March.

The ministry on Sept. 9 held a public forum at Nuri Dream Square in Seoul's Mapo district to prepare subordinate regulations for the AIDC special act.

The AIDC special act was promulgated on June 9. It will take effect on March 10, 2027. Ahead of its implementation, the ministry plans to draft subordinate regulations, including an enforcement decree, reflecting input from stakeholders such as industry, academia and research institutions.

The forum featured presentations by a research working group on drafting the enforcement decree, panel discussions among experts and representatives of businesses, and a collection of views from attendees. Key agenda items included the scope of AIDC recognition, reporting requirements for construction and operation, one-stop processing of permits and approvals and facility exceptions, power-related exceptions, and procedures and support measures for designating special zones.

The ministry has gathered on-the-ground views needed to draft the subordinate regulations through meetings to collect industry input and consultations with relevant agencies. It plans to review the views raised at the forum, reflect them in the subordinate regulations, and proceed with follow-up steps such as a legislative notice.

Kim Kyung-man (김경만), director general for AI policy at the ministry, said the AIDC special act is a law that will determine the pace of expanding South Korea's AI infrastructure, making it important to ensure the subordinate regulations work effectively in practice. He said the ministry would continue to communicate closely with the industry during the remaining drafting process.