GS Group Expands AI Data Center Technology Ecosystem, Explores Cooperation with Seven Startups

[Financial News] GS Group is working to build a technology ecosystem alongside its gigawatt-scale artificial intelligence (AI) data center business. The group plans to connect startup technologies in power, memory, cooling, construction and operations with its business capabilities to strengthen competitiveness across the AI data center value chain. GS Group aims to complete a 1.2 GW data center in stages in Donghae-si, Gangwon State, starting in 2028. It plans to add another 1.2 GW later, expanding the facility to a total capacity of 2.4 GW.
GS Ventures announced on the 16th that it held the 2026 GS Ventures Tech Day at GS Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 15th.
This year’s event focused on AI data centers. Seven startups, including six portfolio companies backed by GS Ventures, introduced related technologies and explored opportunities to cooperate with GS Group affiliates.
Through GS Ventures, GS Group has identified and invested in startups across various fields, including power and energy, semiconductors and memory, cooling, and cloud services. This Tech Day was organized to combine the network and investment experience accumulated by GS Ventures with the group’s business capabilities and identify new opportunities in the AI data center sector.
The event was attended by GS Group Chairman Huh Tae-soo, senior executives, executives from affiliates including GS Energy, GS Caltex, GS Engineering & Construction, GS E&R and GS Global, and representatives of the participating startups.
Chairman Huh said, "The innovative technologies of startups could provide clues to resolving technical bottlenecks in AI data centers." He added, "We will broaden the points of contact between GS Group and startups and work together to develop Korea’s AI data center technology ecosystem."
The technologies presented by the participating companies covered major areas of AI data centers, from power stabilization to graphics processing unit (GPU) cloud operations.
In the power sector, Senergia presented solutions designed to improve the stability and energy efficiency of power supplies for AI data centers. VINSSEN introduced a hydrogen fuel-cell solution for data centers based on technologies it developed in the shipbuilding and maritime sectors.
In the memory sector, XCENA presented intelligent memory based on Compute Express Link (CXL) technology to ease data-processing bottlenecks.
In the cooling sector, KoolMicro and SDT introduced a D2C (Direct-to-Chip) liquid-cooling solution that removes heat through direct contact between cooling plates and semiconductors, and an immersion-cooling system that cools servers by submerging them in an insulating coolant, respectively.
In construction and operations, Elice Group presented a modular AI data center, while VESSL AI introduced GPU cloud technology specialized for AI computing workloads.
After the company presentations, networking continued between GS Group affiliate business managers and the startups. Do Hyun-soo, CEO of GS AI Infra, the entity dedicated to the AI data center business, and his working-level team also took part in discussions on the technologies’ applicability and potential business connections.
GS Group plans to review technology validation and the feasibility of applying the technologies to its business through follow-up discussions.

[email protected] Kim Mi-hee Reporter