South Korean telecommunications company KT signed a memorandum of understanding with DigitalBridge Group to jointly develop AI-focused data centers, marking the US investment firm’s first partnership with a major Korean telecom operator.
The agreement, announced Tuesday, outlines plans to build large-scale data center infrastructure in Korea and explore opportunities across the Asia-Pacific region. Both companies indicated the collaboration could eventually encompass gigawatt-scale facilities requiring multi-billion-dollar investments, though specific financial commitments were not disclosed.
DigitalBridge, headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, manages approximately $108 billion in digital infrastructure assets and has been expanding aggressively into AI-related investments. The firm recently closed its third value-add fund with $11.7 billion in commitments and operates data center capacity exceeding 1 gigawatt across Asia-Pacific markets including Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia.
The deal positions KT to compete in Korea’s rapidly expanding data center market, projected to nearly double to $9.9 billion by 2030. The telecom faces intensifying competition from rival SK Telecom, which announced gigawatt-scale AI data center plans last year. SK Group has separately committed $5.1 billion with Amazon Web Services for a hyperscale facility in Ulsan.
KT currently operates roughly a dozen data centers domestically through its KT Cloud unit.
