Korea Investment Private Equity targets AI data centers and power infrastructure with KRW 1 trillion in proprietary capital

[Financial News] Korea Investment Private Equity, the private equity fund manager of Korea Investment Financial Group, is moving to establish a KRW 1 trillion investment platform based on the group's proprietary capital.
As investment demand for physical infrastructure, including data centers and power and energy facilities, grows amid the expansion of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, the company plans to accelerate large-scale infrastructure investments by combining the group's capital strength with Korea Investment Private Equity's investment capabilities.
Korea Investment Private Equity said on the 28th that it would establish an investment platform worth approximately KRW 1 trillion by using the group's proprietary funds and its own GP commitment, or general partner capital contribution.
The plan is to identify physical infrastructure investment opportunities needed in the AI era by leveraging the capital strength and business base of Korea Investment Financial Group, which managed approximately KRW 607 trillion in assets as of the end of June this year.
The platform's main investment targets include AI data centers (AIDCs), large-scale power generation and electricity facilities, energy storage systems (ESS), and ultrahigh-speed communications networks. As demand for AI computing grows rapidly, the need for investment is expanding beyond data centers to the power and communications infrastructure that supports them.
AI data centers, in particular, require a stable supply of massive amounts of electricity. As a result, they are likely to be grouped into a single investment area alongside energy infrastructure such as power plants, electricity grids, and ESS facilities. Korea Investment Private Equity plans to use the group's capital strength to expand strategic investments in these digital and energy infrastructure assets.
Korea Investment Private Equity has already built up investment experience by pursuing large-scale transactions in the energy and strategic industries.
In June, it acquired a 49% stake in SK Ulsan GPS and SK multi utility for a combined KRW 1.5952 trillion. Last year, it participated as the lead investor in a transaction involving an approximately KRW 1.1 trillion stake investment in Hanwha Energy. In 2023, it also supplied substantial growth capital to SK On's pre-IPO, further building experience in collaborating with major domestic companies.
In global markets, alternative investment managers such as Brookfield, KKR, and Blackstone are expanding their investments in AI data centers and power infrastructure. With the spread of generative AI creating demand for large-scale capital expenditures on data centers, cooling facilities, and power equipment, the physical infrastructure market is regarded as having entered a new investment cycle.
Korea Investment Private Equity plans to secure investment opportunities in key domestic infrastructure by combining its experience working with major Korean companies with the group's proprietary capital and financial structuring capabilities.
A Korea Investment Financial Group official said, "As the paradigm shifts toward the AI era, an investment platform using Korea Investment Financial Group's proprietary capital could become a homegrown counterweight to major global asset managers deploying trillion-won-scale funds. We will quickly deploy the necessary capital in key domestic infrastructure investment sectors and actively expand Korea Investment Private Equity's influence in the market."

[email protected] Kang Jung-mo Reporter