LG Uplus adopts One LG strategy for its AI infrastructure

• South Korea’s LG Uplus is building a next-generation AI datacentre
• Under its One LG strategy, it is making the most of its LG Group affiliates to deploy the latest cooling and power systems
• It has also developed its own datacentre infrastructure operating system

LG Uplus, South Korea’s third-largest mobile operator, is making the most of its relationships within the broader LG Group to develop and build what it describes as a “beyond AI-ready” AI datacentre (AIDC). 

The operator, which is as gung-ho about the potential of AI as its South Korean telco peers SK Telecom and KT Corp, is working with a number of LG Group affiliates under a strategy it calls ‘One LG’ to ensure it has the best possible power and cooling capabilities. 

Its Paju-based AI datacentre, which is currently under construction and set to be completed in 2027, will make use of the technologies of group companies including LG Electronics and LG Energy Solution for its cooling and power systems.

According to LG Uplus, one of the AIDC’s core challenges is to deal with the heat generated by the facility‘s high-performance GPUs (graphics processing units), which is “difficult to handle with conventional air cooling methods,” noted the operator in this announcement (in Korean). 

So LG Uplus and LG Electronics are introducing a liquid cooling solution called Direct to Chip. “This solution attaches a dedicated metal plate (cold plate) to the GPU chip and circulates liquid through a coolant distribution unit (CDU) to directly remove heat,” noted LG Uplus, adding that its tests showed this method “improved energy efficiency by approximately 24% compared to conventional air cooling.”

Meanwhile, LG Energy Solution’s technology will be used to “ensure a stable power supply”, noted LG Uplus. “The Paju AIDC is equipped with a high-performance UPS [uninterruptible power supply] battery, enabling instant power compensation even during power outages or voltage fluctuations. Furthermore, its proprietary multi-safety structure, designed from the battery cells to the packs, minimises the risk of fire and thermal runaway, ensuring uninterrupted operation,” it stated.

To complement those capabilities, LG Uplus has developed its proprietary AI-based DCIM (Datacentre Infrastructure Operation System), which it has already deployed at its existing 15 datacentre facilities. The system monitors power usage, temperature and humidity, cooling status and equipment abnormalities in real time, acting as the ‘brain’ that optimally allocates resources through AI analysis: For example, AI can analyse power usage trends to predict capacity shortages in advance and, based on temperature data, detect signs of overheating and immediately notify managers to prevent accidents. 

Starting with the Paju AIDC, LG Uplus plans to expand its AI infrastructure portfolio, and is “developing a collaborative model with asset management companies and strengthening its integrated consulting business, which encompasses the entire process from designing and building to operating client datacentres,” it noted. 

LG Uplus will be sharing its AIDC strategy with attendees at the upcoming MWC26, which looks set to be more about AI than about mobile services and technologies: For more on what LG Uplus will be showing off in Barcelona, see this announcement.  

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV