KT Cloud Builds Its Own Liquid Cooling Tech for AI Data Centers

KT Cloud is developing the core infrastructure for its next-generation AI data centers (AIDC) in-house, from liquid cooling validation to AI-driven operations software. The company showed the work at its AI Innovation Center, located inside the Mokdong 2 data center in Seoul's Yangcheon district.

The facility tests cooling, power and networking technology. KT Cloud says it applies the experience and data gathered over 25 years of running data centers to new builds and group projects, and plans to package the results as solutions for outside customers.

Direct-to-chip cooling and a home-built load bank

KT Cloud already uses direct-to-chip (D2C) liquid cooling commercially. At its Gasan AIDC it serves a global hyperscaler customer with the service. In D2C, a cold plate sits on the GPU and coolant flows through it. The company says this can cut cooling power consumption by 20 to 30% compared with air cooling. It handles design, flow analysis and performance verification itself, and has also separately demonstrated immersion cooling.

It also built its own water-cooled load bank, which reproduces the heat and cooling conditions of real servers without using expensive GPU hardware for testing. The server-type unit models Nvidia B200 heat output at 8kW per unit, up to 64kW per 42U rack. The rack-type unit reproduces up to 140kW for GB200 NVL72-class racks. KT Cloud says it has completed load tests to a global customer's real-world criteria.

Software, robots and resilience

Operations software is also homegrown. Path Finder analyzes power equipment in real time and finds recovery routes after a fault, while DIMS Insight uses AI to predict anomalies and failures. Both draw on data stored in the DIMS operations platform. After testing autonomous inspection robots last year, the company is running a second-phase trial this year with Boston Dynamics' Spot.

Mokdong 2 is described as the first Seoul data center with seismic isolation, using 84 isolators. Power comes from separate substations, and 12 emergency generators can supply roughly 48 hours of power at current load.

Capacity plans

KT Cloud's roughly 152MW of existing capacity is mostly sold, leaving little room for large GPU customers. The company plans to secure more than 1GW of additional capacity by 2031, starting with Bucheon in 2027 and extending to Gunsan, Cheongna and Ansan. It is working with LS Electric on modular power infrastructure and with Vertiv on power and liquid cooling design.