LG Electronics is set to embark on the development of cooling solutions to reduce power consumption at data centers in collaboration with Korea Electric Power Corporation and Hanwha Construction.
On the 24th, LG Electronics announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the establishment of direct current (DC) based data centers and the creation of an ecosystem at Hanwha Building in Jung-gu, Seoul, with Korea Electric Power Corporation and Hanwha Construction on the 25th.
The signing ceremony was attended by Lee Jae-sung, head of LG Electronics' ES Division (Vice President), Kim Dong-cheol, President of Korea Electric Power Corporation, and Kim Seung-mo, CEO of Hanwha Construction.
Through this technology agreement, the three companies will establish a 'power consumption-saving data center' that supplies 1 megawatt of the total 10 megawatts of the data center server and cooling equipment in direct current.
This is to develop solutions to reduce power consumption and heat generation at data centers by utilizing renewable energy as demand for AI data centers increases.
Most power plants generate and supply alternating current (AC) electricity, which is why most air conditioning equipment is also designed for AC systems.
In contrast, renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy produce direct current electricity, necessitating a conversion process to alternating current.
LG Electronics plans to develop and supply its first ultra-large chiller in direct current mode, aimed at reducing approximately 10% of energy loss occurring during this process.
Korea Electric Power Corporation will be responsible for stable direct current power supply and technology verification based on low-voltage direct current (LVDC) transmission technology, while Hanwha Construction will design and construct the direct current data center.
LG Electronics is leveraging its high-efficiency heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) technology to develop various cooling solutions such as liquid cooling and air cooling, supplying them to data centers domestically and internationally. Recently, it established an AI data center dedicated testbed at its Pyeongtaek chiller plant.
Lee Jae-sung, head of LG Electronics' ES Division, noted that the company will be at the forefront of developing cooling solutions to reduce power usage, based on its accumulated differentiated technology from supplying cooling solutions to various data centers at home and abroad.