LG Uplus will join forces with power generation equipment specialist GNC Energy to respond to delays in supplying power facilities, which have emerged as a key variable in building artificial intelligence data centres.

LG Uplus said on June 28 it signed a memorandum of understanding with GNC Energy on June 24 at its Yongsan office building in Seoul and will strengthen cooperation in power infrastructure, including emergency generators introduced to AI data centres (AIDC).

The cooperation aims to secure a stable supply chain as rising demand for AI infrastructure lengthens the supply period for key power equipment, including emergency generators. Cases are increasing in which it takes nearly 2 years from ordering power equipment to delivery as demand for AI infrastructure grows. LG Uplus explained that whether power equipment can be secured is acting as a key variable in determining AIDC construction schedules.

The two companies will cooperate to supply emergency generators for the LG Uplus Paju AIDC under construction in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. They will later expand the scope of cooperation to overall power infrastructure construction for AIDCs pursued by LG Uplus. They will strengthen response capabilities to supply key equipment on time and jointly push standardisation of power equipment, taking into account data centre additions and expansion.

Because large-scale computing equipment runs continuously at AIDCs, even a momentary interruption in power supply can cause service disruptions. LG Uplus expects the cooperation to further strengthen its data centre nonstop operation capabilities at the 99.999 percent level it has maintained for the past 27 years.

Jung Sook-kyung (정숙경), executive director in charge of LG Uplus' AIDC business, said, "For AIDCs, stability of power infrastructure is competitiveness." She added, "We will strengthen competitiveness in supplying AI infrastructure by securing key equipment in a stable manner and continuously advance the foundation for data centre operations."

Ahn Byung-chul (안병철), CEO of GNC Energy, said, "As demand for power equipment for AI data centres is rapidly increasing, cooperation with LG Uplus has enabled us to respond to market uncertainty." He added, "Based on capabilities we have built in the field of data centre power infrastructure, we will expand cooperation."