South Korea's Gyeongbuk East Coast Nuclear Power Belt Proposed as National AI Training Center

On August 17, the Gyeongbuk Research Institute proposed developing the nuclear power-concentrated region on the east coast of North Gyeongsang Province into a national artificial intelligence (AI) training center to accommodate high-energy computing demands such as large-scale model training and retraining.

The research suggests that if the South Korean government expands AI data centers to 18.4 gigawatts in the long term, power supply and grid connection capacity in the capital area and metropolitan regions could approach their limits. To alleviate power and network load pressures, real-time inference and user-facing services could be deployed in the capital area and major cities, while large-scale training and retraining facilities could be located in developing regions with access to power sources.

The east coast of North Gyeongsang Province is home to nuclear facilities including Hanul Nuclear Power Plant, Shin-Hanul Nuclear Power Plant, Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant, and Shin-Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant, comprising 13 nuclear power units with approximately 12.8 gigawatts of carbon-free power generation capacity. The research suggests linking the nuclear power resources of Uljin and Gyeongju with the steel and secondary battery industries of Pohang, the semiconductor and power equipment industries of Gumi, and the R&D capabilities of Daegu and Gyeongsan to form a regional support system for the AI industry.

Under the plan, the AI training park could start at a scale of 100 megawatts to 300 megawatts, then expand to 500 megawatts, and further increase to the 1-gigawatt level. The construction would require a joint promotion mechanism involving the government, power utilities, North Gyeongsang Province, and private operators to verify power supply, site conditions, communication access, cooling systems, and water supply capacity.

Dr. Ryu Hyeong-cheol of the Gyeongbuk Research Institute stated that the Gyeongbuk nuclear power belt should be developed into a national AI industry axis on the east coast, combining the AI training park with industries such as power equipment, cooling, and semiconductors.