KT Targets 1GW of AI Data Centers by 2031 as B2B Orders Grow

AIDC buildout and pipeline

Kim Bong-gyun, head of KT's enterprise division, said the 1GW supply will be demand-driven. In the Seoul metropolitan area, KT will develop sites with secure power and permits. Outside it, the company will firm up projects once tenant demand is secured. The capacity is planned as 80% leased and 20% owned, with financing methods to be considered in light of the debt ratio. KT also intends to add power cables and link its AIDCs to extend AI connectivity on North American and Asian routes.

Cumulative enterprise orders for the first three quarters rose more than 20% year on year, driven by data-related deals. The pipeline stands at 20 main sites totaling 911MW, plus 10 backup sites with 500MW. Of the roughly 900MW in the main pipeline, decisions on 200MW are complete, and another 60MW is expected to be decided in the remaining two months of the year.

Token Factory and industry AX

KT will develop its enterprise AI platform Token Factory, which lets companies use multiple AI models and manage token usage and costs in one place, into Korea's hub for producing and distributing AI tokens. Park Sang-won, head of the AX division, said KT will balance direct inference on Korean-hosted models with routing to external models, and ultimately expand its own GPUs.

In Q3 KT won an agentic AI contact center for Woori Bank and a defense intelligence platform. It has also won its first standardized healthcare model with Yonsei Medical Center, Asan Medical Center and Seoul National University Hospital, with insurance and public sectors next.

Telecom and dividend

Wireless ARPU has recovered since a customer protection program ended in August, but KT expects combined wireless, internet and TV revenue to fall short of last year's level. It will prioritize profitability over subscriber growth. The annual dividend stays at 2,400 won, with the year-end payout to be decided by the board.