Ja-Kyun Koo: “An intelligent DC power grid is the solution to AI power shortages” ... lays out vision for next-generation power distribution market

[Financial News]“The surest solution to meet the explosive growth in electricity demand from artificial intelligence (AI) is an intelligent power grid based on direct current (DC).”
Ja-Kyun Koo, chairman and CEO of LS ELECTRIC Co., Ltd., proposed an “intelligent DC power grid” as a solution to meet surging electricity demand in the age of AI. His vision is to increase the stability of power supply while building systems to predict and manage equipment using data and AI. He also outlined plans to expand the business beyond simply supplying power equipment and develop a platform that provides integrated support for customers’ power infrastructure.
In his keynote address at the 2026 International Conference on Electricity Distribution (CIRED) Seoul Workshop, held on the 2nd at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul in Seoul, Chairman Koo presented his vision for a next-generation intelligent DC power grid and declared a major shift in the global energy paradigm.
As a solution to the power shortage brought on by the expansion of AI infrastructure, Chairman Koo said, “For AI data centers, which consume enormous amounts of electricity, to operate reliably, they must be backed by a dependable power grid,” adding, “We need to build a strong virtuous cycle in which advanced AI, in turn, predicts and manages the grid more intelligently and efficiently.”
The idea is to create a virtuous cycle by pursuing both “Grids for AI,” in which the power grid supports the AI industry, and “AI for Grids,” which uses AI to enhance grid operations.
The core of the future power grid envisioned by Chairman Koo is “DC technology” and an “intelligent platform.” He said, “We need to move beyond the old one-way model of delivering electricity and provide customer-tailored power infrastructure, for data centers and other customers, by harmonizing direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC),” adding, “Power equipment must combine data and AI to detect anomalies early and evolve into an ‘intelligent, bidirectional energy platform’ that can exchange energy flexibly.”
The speech also aligns with the direction of LS ELECTRIC Co., Ltd.’s business expansion under Chairman Koo’s leadership. Since taking over as CEO in 2008, he has broadened the company’s business base from power equipment to global power infrastructure and energy solutions. Since he took office, revenue has grown about 3.5-fold, and LS ELECTRIC Co., Ltd. is seen as demonstrating the “DC paradigm” through tangible business results in North America, the world’s largest market. In fact, LS ELECTRIC Co., Ltd. entered the United States early, as the country faced power shortages amid a surge in AI data centers, and has secured successive orders for ultra-high-efficiency power conversion systems (PCS) and power solutions tailored to data centers.
CIRED, where Chairman Koo presented his vision, is an international technical exchange event in the power distribution sector that began in Belgium in 1971. It is being held in Asia for the first time since its founding. This is seen as a sign that South Korea has come to stand shoulder to shoulder with traditional power-sector leaders such as North America and Europe, and is emerging as a key player in leading next-generation global power distribution technology.
An LS ELECTRIC Co., Ltd. representative said, “With this keynote, Chairman Koo, representing South Korea’s power industry, officially declared on the world stage that the paradigm for future power grids has fully shifted to direct current (DC),” adding, “With the confidence to lead the next-generation market, we will leverage our DC platform technology to establish ourselves as a ‘rule maker’ in the global power distribution market.”

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