KICT and SK Innovation to collaborate on advanced AIDC infrastructure technologies

[Financial News] The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology said on the 16th that it had signed an MOU with SK Innovation at its headquarters in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, to collaborate on joint research and demonstration in the field of AI data centers. The two organizations plan to combine their technical capabilities in construction and energy to pursue joint research and demonstration projects aimed at ensuring the safe construction and efficient operation of AI data centers. The signing ceremony was attended by key officials and researchers from both organizations, including KICT President Park Seon-gyu and Kim Pil-seok, head of SK Innovation’s Environmental Science & Technology Institute and chief technology officer (CTO).
AI data centers are critical infrastructure that supports artificial intelligence services and require a combination of technologies, including not only large-scale power and cooling systems but also structural safety, fire response, and water supply and reuse. In particular, linking technologies in construction, energy, and the environment and verifying their applicability in real-world operating environments are important for the stable operation of high-performance computing equipment.
KICT has research capabilities and demonstration infrastructure needed to build and operate data centers in areas including structural engineering, architecture, the environment, water resources, and fire safety. SK Innovation has technological expertise in energy and the environment, including energy efficiency, cooling, waste-heat utilization, and water management. The two organizations plan to combine their technologies and research infrastructure to identify joint research projects and pursue demonstration collaborations using test beds.
At a joint workshop held after the signing ceremony, participants discussed key areas for collaboration, including △data center waste-heat management and the establishment of resource-circulation systems △double-wall systems △modular data centers △environmental impacts and thermal acceptability associated with water-source energy use △integrated green infrastructure and demonstration △integrated management of fire safety and functional recovery for uninterrupted AI data center operations. The two organizations plan to assess potential areas of collaboration and further define the scope of future research, division of responsibilities, and ways to link the work with demonstration projects.
KICT President Park Seon-gyu said, "With this agreement as an opportunity, we will combine KICT’s research capabilities in construction, the environment, and safety with SK Innovation’s energy expertise to identify collaboration projects needed in the field and carry them forward through joint research and demonstration."

[email protected] Yeon Ji-an Reporter