South Korea will soon announce a large-scale energy investment plan in the United States to support the expansion of the U.S. AI industry, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Wednesday.

It is a follow-up step that had been delayed after the two countries signed a trade agreement last year.

South Korea would provide funding for up to 8 nuclear power plants and natural gas power plants in the United States, the report said. The investment could exceed $100 billion, the WSJ reported, citing sources.

Under the trade agreement signed in October last year, the United States lowered tariffs on most items, including South Korean cars, to 15 percent from 25 percent. South Korea, in return, promised $350 billion in investment in the United States and energy purchases worth $100 billion.

But with no specific projects emerging, U.S. officials including President Trump expressed dissatisfaction, and Trump also threatened in January to raise tariffs again.

Talks between the two countries have entered the final stage, and as many as 2 contracts could be announced as soon as next week, the WSJ reported.

The South Korean government this year established a state-owned corporation to assess the business feasibility of U.S.-bound investments. The investments will be carried out over several years, with an annual cap of $20 billion.

A project in the final negotiating stage involves building up to 8 nuclear power plants in the United States as part of efforts to supply electricity needed for data centre expansion. The investment would be in the tens of billions of dollars and could exceed $100 billion, the WSJ reported.

The timing and sites for construction have not been finalised. The sites are likely to be on land owned by the U.S. government. The initial nuclear plants are expected to use Westinghouse Electric's AP1000 design.