The artificial intelligence data center (AIDC) industry is calling on the government to simplify licensing processes, provide tax incentives, and establish dedicated organizations to improve the AIDC special law. The Ministry of Science and ICT announced it will operate a task force with relevant departments to address issues related to power, land, and financing, and plans to launch the 'AIDC Alliance' in the second half of the year to incorporate industry feedback.
On July 16, a strategy discussion on promoting AI infrastructure investment and export was held at the National Assembly. The effectiveness of the AIDC special law was a key topic of discussion.
Yoon Sung-eun, head of the Communication Center and AI Policy Research Institute at SK Telecom, stated, "The AIDC special law must not only be enacted but also expedite the actual licensing process. It is essential to quickly address power, environmental, and administrative procedures."
Yoon also emphasized the need for regulatory improvements to attract global tech giants and create a testing environment for overseas exports. He noted, "Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam lack the power infrastructure to operate large-scale AIDCs. To implement a package strategy that builds data centers alongside power facilities, we need to secure references through at least one or two on-site power demonstrations in Korea."
Naver Cloud called for expanded tax incentives. Bae Sung-jun, executive director of Naver Cloud, explained, "About 70% of the costs for building AI factories are invested in computing infrastructure like GPUs. While GPUs need to be replaced every 2-3 years, accounting depreciation is applied over five years, which burdens investment decisions." He proposed expanding tax credits for AI infrastructure investments, joint GPU purchases, and establishing a demand forecasting system for public and private sectors.
Samsung SDS recommended the establishment of a dedicated AIDC organization and the creation of clusters. Lee Hang-jae, executive director of Samsung SDS, stated, "There are limits to companies resolving issues related to land, power, and community complaints individually. The government should create regional clusters and establish a permanent organization dedicated to AI data centers." He also highlighted the need for collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to localize AI infrastructure components and improve overlapping regulations.
In response, Kim Kyung-man, head of the AI Policy Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "We are operating a task force with department heads to coordinate issues related to power, land, and financing, holding regular meetings once a month and additional meetings as needed. In the second half of the year, we plan to launch the AIDC Alliance, which will include companies and support organizations to discuss and find solutions to industry and regulatory issues."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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