SK Broadband Presents Vision for Saemangeum as Northeast Asia Data Center Hub

[Asia Economy Reporter Joeslgina] SK Broadband, together with SK Group's energy affiliates, has presented a blueprint to transform the Saemangeum area into a Northeast Asia regional data center (IDC) hub. It plans to establish the country's first low-power data center model based on renewable and new energy sources.

On the 30th, SK Broadband announced plans to provide an eco-friendly "Green Hyperscale Data Center" in the Saemangeum area with low carbon emissions through 50 MW of solar power generation. Upon establishment, it aims to increase the use of renewable energy in the data center to 30%, achieving RE (Renewable Energy)30, with plans to expand to 100% in the future.

In addition, SK Broadband will propose innovative energy-saving solutions in cooperation with SK Group's energy affiliate SK E&S. Through this, customers will be able to use the data center at electricity rates more than 30% cheaper than Hong Kong and over 50% cheaper than Tokyo. Compared to locations in the Seoul metropolitan area, this translates to approximately 154.9 billion KRW in savings over 20 years.

By the end of 2021, SK Broadband plans to build overseas networks by configuring the submarine cable SJC2, which connects 10 branches across 7 Asian countries, with optical fiber in Saemangeum. Simultaneously, it will connect Saemangeum with Seoul and the metropolitan area via optical fiber. Notably, the domestic network will be directly linked to SK Broadband's largest data center under construction in Seoul, "SEOUL#3," maximizing connectivity.

Additional submarine cable connections are also being considered to develop Saemangeum as a Northeast Asia regional hub. This is expected to enable the provision of world-class services to domestic and international companies. The startup cluster within Saemangeum, tentatively named "SK Town," scheduled for completion in 2025, will offer various public spaces such as plazas, a multi-purpose library, and food areas.

Choi Jin-hwan, CEO of SK Broadband, stated, "By utilizing the low-carbon hyperscale data center model proposed by SK, customers can use high-quality networks while approaching their carbon emission reduction goals," adding, "Saemangeum will emerge as the optimal location to expand global data center business."