NFD Korea has moved its 300MW AI data center campus in the Songsan 2 General Industrial Complex in Dangjin, Chungcheongnam-do, into full-scale development, adding capacity to Korea’s constrained AI infrastructure market. The first 200MW phase now has site acquisition, a power supply agreement, building permits completed in early September 2026, and a selected general contractor, with construction scheduled to start in early November. The additional 100MW phase has entered permitting after a local-government agreement and targets completion within December 2026, bringing the campus to three buildings. Phase 1, Building A, targets a Q1 2028 Ready-for-Service date and will use liquid cooling capable of supporting racks reaching 160kW, supporting high-density AI training and inference workloads.

The project’s location roughly 90 kilometers southwest of Seoul gives NFD Korea an alternative to the increasingly difficult power and permitting environment inside the Seoul metropolitan area. Developers seeking AI capacity face a growing premium on sites that combine metropolitan access with credible routes to electricity and approvals. NFD Korea assembled the Dangjin site before those constraints intensified, giving the project a stronger execution position. The recent permit completion and contractor selection reduce schedule uncertainty, improving its position among Korea’s emerging AI infrastructure projects.

Government Support Strengthens Project Execution

Local-government involvement has added another layer of support to the development, with the Dangjin Songsan cluster tracing its origins to a 2023 memorandum of understanding covering the initial 200MW. On September 9, Chungcheongnam-do Province, the City of Dangjin, NFD Korea, and EFD Co., Ltd. signed an AI Data Center Investment Agreement at the provincial government office for the newly added 100MW parcel. The agreement confirms site control across Buildings A and B, totaling 200MW, and Building C, adding 100MW. That structure gives the campus a defined execution framework while local backing could help contain community opposition.

CEO Choi Jae-woo said, “With site acquisition, power, and permits now locked down, and GC selection and local government agreements finalized, the Dangjin project has moved into full-scale execution.” He added, “Between low community-opposition risk inside the industrial complex, proximity to the Seoul metro, and strong local government backing, Dangjin is positioned to deliver AI data center capacity quickly, and with ample power headroom, it’s an ideal site for further expansion.” His comments frame Dangjin as a platform for additional AI infrastructure demand. Operators increasingly weigh power availability and execution certainty alongside location.

Contractors and Equipment Stack Take Shape

DL E&C is in pre-construction for Building A within the initial 200MW phase, with the permitted segment scheduled to break ground in early November. LS Electric has finalized a supply agreement for step-up transformers, with deliveries planned in stages from 2027 through 2028, while NFD Korea has secured a 300MW power supply agreement with Korea Electric Power Corporation. Construction readiness, committed power and core electrical equipment give the project an assembled delivery stack. Meanwhile, lease negotiations with global cloud service providers and AI companies are underway as market interest grows.

NFD Korea plans to bring the campus online through successive commercial-operation phases, beginning with Building A and followed by Buildings B and C. Phase 1 targets Q1 2028 RFS, while Phases 2 and 3 also target RFS during 2028, putting the full 300MW on a staged path to service in 2028. Final specifications will depend on tenant requirements, so infrastructure can adapt to tenant workloads. The industrial-complex setting, established power position and government support give the project a comparatively clear route through development, supporting Dangjin’s role in Korea’s next AI capacity buildout.