[DigitalToday reporter Sangyeop Oh] Korea Investment Securities is joining hands with Samil PwC to expand its finance business targeting AI infrastructure such as graphics processing units (GPUs) and AI data centres.

Korea Investment Securities said on Oct. 21 it signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Samil PwC on Oct. 20 for GPU financing.

Korea Investment Securities and Samil PwC agreed to jointly develop investment structure designs and funding measures from the initial stage of projects by analysing asset characteristics, cash flow and capital demand in GPU infrastructure businesses.

Korea Investment Securities will use its capabilities in structured finance and capital markets to design financial structures suited to GPU infrastructure projects and take charge of fundraising and attracting investors.

Samil PwC will handle GPU asset valuation, reviews of business feasibility and risk analysis, based on its advisory capabilities in finance, accounting and tax.

Specifically, the two sides plan to cooperate in five areas: designing GPU infrastructure investment structures and financial advisory; GPU asset valuation and business feasibility reviews; financial and tax due diligence and risk analysis; fundraising and investor attraction; and advisory on the development and investment of AI data centres.

The investment structure and scale of individual projects will be determined through consultations for each project.

Korea Investment Securities plans to use the agreement to identify additional business opportunities related to GPU financing and expand its scope of financial support into advanced infrastructure fields, including AI data centres.

Park Cheol-su (박철수), head of the PF2 Division at Korea Investment Securities, said AI computing infrastructure centred on GPUs is emerging as a new core investment area in the global market. He said the company will actively support the growth of South Korea's AI infrastructure industry based on its capabilities.