[Edaily Reporter Han Kwangbeom ] LG CNS (#LGCNES) is partnering with Naver Cloud to build “liquid cooling” infrastructure—a next-generation cooling technology—at the Samsong Data Center. As the proliferation of generative AI has led to a significant increase in power consumption and heat generation from high-performance GPUs, the goal is to implement a large-scale cooling system to complement the existing air-cooling method.

The two companies will introduce “Direct-to-Chip (DTC)” cooling—one of several liquid cooling methods—at the Samsong Data Center. Previously, LG Corp. had been entrusted with the operation of the Samsong Data Center and had signed a colocation agreement with Naver Cloud.

This liquid cooling infrastructure is being built to enable Naver Cloud to stably operate NVIDIA’s next-generation ultra-high-performance GPU, “Vera Rubin,” which is owned by the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA) under the Ministry of Science and ICT. Vera Rubin is a model expected to deliver approximately 3.3 times the inference performance of the existing “Blackwell Ultra.”

By establishing a stable operational foundation for this next-generation GPU, the Samsong Data Center—with a total power capacity of 80 MW—is expected to emerge as one of South Korea’s largest hubs for implementing an “AI Factory.” An “AI Factory” refers to an integrated system that continuously produces and operates intelligence by combining a platform operating system and AI services on top of AI data center infrastructure.

DTC is a method that absorbs heat by attaching a cooling plate through which coolant flows to the GPU chip. It efficiently controls the heat generated by high-density GPU servers by utilizing liquid, which has higher heat transfer efficiency than air. While conventional air-cooling methods can handle a cooling capacity of around 20–30 kW per rack, the power density of high-performance GPU server racks is rising to over 200 kW, making DTC technology an essential element in the construction of AI factories.

According to market research firm MarketandMarket, the global data center liquid cooling market is expected to grow rapidly from $4.07 billion in 2026 to $27.65 billion by 2033.

In line with this market expansion, LG CNS is combining its data center design, build, and operate (DBO) capabilities with AI infrastructure technology to provide an integrated solution encompassing DTC liquid cooling, GPU server operating environments, power supply systems, and AI platform operation infrastructure. Naver Cloud leverages its extensive experience in large-scale GPU services to provide high-performance AI services to public institutions and enterprises in South Korea. The two companies plan to complete the construction and validation of the liquid cooling infrastructure by next year.

Cho Heon-hyuk, Senior Vice President in charge of the Data Center Business at LG CNS, stated, “Data center cooling technology is becoming a key competitive advantage for AI service quality and operational efficiency.” He added, “In collaboration with Naver Cloud, we will build infrastructure to support the growth of the domestic AI ecosystem, leveraging LG CNS’s strengths in data center DBO capabilities and next-generation cooling technology.”