SK Hyper, the data centre arm of SK Telecom, is in talks to fund a 15GW AI data centre programme in South Korea, Bloomberg reported on 23 October. The first 5GW phase alone is expected to need about $350 billion, with the full programme targeted at 2035.
The number only makes sense next to the baseline. South Korea's entire current data centre market is roughly 1GW. The first phase is therefore five times the national installed base, and the full programme fifteen times. Reported figures vary slightly between outlets - around $349.4 billion in some accounts - which is normal for a deal still in negotiation.
Put against the other capex disclosures of the past week, it is the largest single-country figure so far. Meta disclosed about $825 billion in future AI-related commitments and guided 2026 capex to $135-145 billion. SK is asking for more than twice Meta's entire forward commitment book for one phase in one country.
Sources
Bloomberg · Seoul Economic Daily