Government to Establish Korean-Style Green Digital Center with 'High Efficiency and Low Power Consumption'

Green Growth Committee Review... Final Decision on 23rd
Promoting Carbon Neutrality through Digital Transformation
Initiating the Establishment of a Green Digital Transformation Ecosystem

The government is focusing on developing low-power, high-performance technologies to respond to the climate crisis through digital transformation. It is also embarking on a 'Green Digital Transformation' to reduce carbon emissions and optimize energy consumption.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 23rd that the 'Plan to Promote Carbon Neutrality through Digital Transformation,' jointly prepared with related ministries, has been finalized after review by the 2050 Carbon Neutral Green Growth Committee.

Recently, abnormal climate events such as heatwaves, wildfires, and heavy rains have repeatedly occurred worldwide, raising awareness of the climate crisis. Digital technology is expected to help reduce carbon emissions by supporting efficient management and use of energy and other resources, as well as resource circulation.

Accordingly, the government announced this April the national basic plan for carbon neutrality this year and is accelerating related policy implementation. The Ministry of Science and ICT has established measures to accelerate the achievement of carbon neutrality goals through digital transformation in cooperation with related ministries.

The newly announced plan to promote carbon neutrality through digital transformation consists of six tasks centered on three main strategies: △ promoting carbon reduction across all industries △ enhancing efficiency and reducing power consumption in the digital sector △ building a green digital ecosystem.

First, carbon reduction across all industries will be promoted through digital means. Technologies will be developed for each sector to integrate digital tools such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and digital twins to reduce carbon emissions in industries with high carbon output like energy, transportation, and construction, as well as in citizens' daily lives. Support will be provided for the adoption of digital transformation aimed at improving energy efficiency, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, and ESG management support will be strengthened.

While digital utilization is expected to reduce energy consumption across industries, energy consumption by digital technologies themselves is projected to increase significantly. To address this, low-power, high-performance data center technologies will be developed and applied on-site. Technologies to be developed include △ energy efficiency improvements for computing IT equipment △ power reduction for infrastructure such as cooling, air conditioning, and power facilities △ integrated control solution technologies for energy consumption monitoring and optimization.

Regarding mobile communication technologies, development will focus on 5G and 6G materials, components, and equipment for maximizing power efficiency, as well as intelligent energy optimization solutions that reduce network power consumption.

A green digital ecosystem will also be established to facilitate the green digital transformation. Public data openness will be expanded through inter-ministerial consultations to ensure smooth supply of carbon neutrality-related data. Platforms such as carbon spatial maps will be advanced to allow convenient access and use of carbon neutrality-related data.

Technologies for measuring, reporting, and verifying (MRV) carbon emissions will be developed, and support systems will be enhanced. For example, a database of carbon reduction technologies by industrial sector will be secured, and platform technologies for managing greenhouse gas reduction potential will be developed.

Park Yoon-kyu, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "We will steadily implement policies so that digital technology accelerates the realization of carbon neutrality, enabling South Korea to emerge as a model country in the international community facing the climate crisis."