LG CNS said on Wednesday it has launched a small data centre called the AI Box that can accommodate 576 GPUs in a single container, and will target the domestic AI data centre market.

The company said the AI Box is a small AI data centre that consolidates key infrastructure needed to operate a data centre into a container, based on LG Group's "One LG" technology capabilities.

It does not require a separate building, shortening the deployment period. A traditional data centre takes about 2 years to build, while the AI Box can be deployed in about 6 months. Based on a standardised packaged model, it can quickly respond to demand from corporate customers at home and abroad that need a data centre built in a short time.

It uses a modular method, allowing operation by single-container units. It can also be expanded into a hyperscale-level AI data centre by combining dozens of containers in stages.

The AI Box consists of an electrical room that handles power infrastructure (UPS, transformer and switchgear) and a computer room that houses IT equipment (servers and GPUs and cooling equipment). It also has generators, a battery room and chillers outside, enabling stable power supply and efficient heat management. Server power per AI Box (IT load) is 1.2 MW, and it can accommodate up to 576 GPUs.

LG CNS will build the first AI Box on the site of the Busan Global Cloud Data Centre. It plans to later develop a large-scale campus by clustering about 50 AI Boxes on a 27,179 square metre site to meet domestic demand for AI infrastructure.

Cho Heon-hyeok (조헌혁), an executive director in charge of LG CNS's data centre business, said: "The AI Box, which provides an integrated offering from AI servers to power, cooling and operations, will lead a new paradigm in the data centre business." He added: "Based on successful cases in the domestic market, we will expand the business into global markets such as Southeast Asia and North America."