LG Uplus Sets 5 Trillion Won AI Data Center Order Target by 2030

LG Uplus has set a target of 5 trillion won, or roughly $3.2 billion to $3.3 billion, in cumulative AI data center orders by 2030, according to reports from The Korea Times and Korea JoongAng Daily.

Paju facility anchors the AI data center strategy

The Korea Times reported that LG Uplus unveiled its AI data center infrastructure strategy at its Paju site, positioning the facility as a key part of the company’s push into AI computing infrastructure. Korea JoongAng Daily similarly described the Paju AI Data Center as the centerpiece of LG Uplus’s effort to win 5 trillion won in cumulative AI data center orders by 2030.

The strategy reflects growing demand for facilities designed to support AI workloads. According to the Forpang Korea / Korea Times report, LG Uplus highlighted how AI computing needs are changing as workloads move beyond model training and increasingly include inference, the process of running AI models to generate outputs for users and applications.

Inference changes data center requirements

The Forpang Korea / Korea Times report noted that this shift from training-focused workloads to inference creates new infrastructure challenges. Inference can involve variable usage patterns, as demand may rise and fall depending on user traffic, business applications, and real-time service needs.

LG Uplus also pointed to power demand and thermal management as key issues, according to the same report. AI servers often require dense computing hardware, which can place pressure on electricity supply, cooling systems, and facility design. For operators, those constraints can affect how quickly capacity can be added and how reliably services can be delivered.

The Korea Times report said LG Uplus presented the Paju site as part of a broader AI data center infrastructure plan, though the reports did not provide detailed customer names or a full breakdown of the expected order pipeline. The publicly reported target is cumulative orders by 2030, rather than immediate revenue.

Telecom operators move deeper into AI infrastructure

LG Uplus is one of South Korea’s major telecommunications companies, and its data center strategy places it in a market where telecom operators, cloud providers, and specialized infrastructure firms are competing to host AI workloads.

Korea JoongAng Daily’s report framed the Paju AI Data Center as central to LG Uplus’s order push, while The Korea Times emphasized the company’s 5 trillion won target and the formal unveiling of the strategy at the Paju site. Together, the reports indicate that LG Uplus is presenting AI data centers as a significant growth area through the end of the decade.

The company’s focus on inference is notable because AI infrastructure demand is no longer limited to the large-scale training of foundation models. As more companies deploy AI services, data centers may need to handle sustained and unpredictable production workloads. LG Uplus’s comments, as reported by Forpang Korea / Korea Times, suggest that the company sees power stability, workload flexibility, and heat control as important differentiators for AI-focused facilities.

What remains to be seen

The reports establish LG Uplus’s order target and the role of its Paju facility, but several details remain limited in the available coverage. The articles do not specify how much of the 5 trillion won target is already contracted, how much capacity the Paju facility will ultimately provide, or which customers will account for future demand.

For now, the announcement shows that LG Uplus is positioning its Paju AI Data Center as a core asset in South Korea’s expanding AI infrastructure market. The company’s 2030 order target gives a benchmark for its ambitions, while its focus on inference, power, and cooling reflects the practical constraints shaping AI data center development.