Kim Dae-heon, Hoban Group's chief planning officer (fourth from left), poses for a photo with Nipper Hughes, Transgrid's head of transmission network construction and investment (fifth from left), after signing a contract for an AI data center power grid project on Thursday. [Hoban Group]
Kim Dae-heon, Hoban Group's chief planning officer (fourth from left), poses for a photo with Nipper Hughes, Transgrid's head of transmission network construction and investment (fifth from left), after signing a contract for an AI data center power grid project on Thursday. [Hoban Group]

Kim Dae-heon, Hoban Group's chief planning officer, traveled to Australia to discuss cooperation with global data center and power infrastructure companies, as the conglomerate moves to accelerate its push into the Oceania market amid surging demand for power grids driven by AI industry growth and the energy transition.

Hoban Group announced Monday that Kim visited Australia for about a week starting July 6, holding talks with global partners and key customers on business cooperation and inspecting Taihan Cable & Solution's Australian subsidiary and project sites.

The visit was organized to strengthen the foundation for global cooperation in response to growing investment in AI data centers and power grid infrastructure. Hoban Group is targeting the global power infrastructure market together with Taihan Cable & Solution.

In Sydney, Kim met with executives of AirTrunk, a global data center development and operations company, to discuss expanding cooperation in data center power infrastructure. The two sides shared information on power infrastructure demand stemming from the growth of AI data centers and upcoming projects, and explored the potential for medium- to long-term collaboration.

Kim then met with officials from Transgrid, Australia's largest transmission authority, to discuss the direction and detailed plans for an AI data center power grid project that Taihan Cable & Solution recently won. The two sides also exchanged views on changes in Australia's power grid and renewable energy market and agreed to deepen their working relationship.

Kim also visited Taihan Cable & Solution's Australian subsidiary, where he received briefings on business operations and the progress of major projects and reviewed market strategies in response to rising power demand across Oceania. At project sites, he examined construction progress and quality management while encouraging staff.

Kim has continued a hands-on management approach, visiting key overseas operations directly to strengthen global business competitiveness. Earlier this year, he toured the Dangjin factory to review production capacity and future equipment investment. In May, he visited Denmark and the Netherlands to discuss expanded cooperation with global renewable energy companies and map out a European market strategy.

Oceania is one of Taihan Cable & Solution's core strategic markets. The company has carried out a wide range of projects in Australia and New Zealand since it began supplying cables there in 2004. As data center investment in Australia has grown in recent years, demand for high-voltage power grid construction has also increased.

Hoban Group and Taihan Cable & Solution plan to aggressively expand their power infrastructure business in Oceania, capitalizing on this market growth.

"The global power infrastructure market is changing rapidly with the growth of the AI industry and the energy transition," Kim said. "We will further expand cooperation with global customers on the strength of our advanced technology and project execution capabilities, and continue to build the foundation for future growth businesses."

Kim also visited Denmark and the Netherlands in May, holding a series of meetings with executives of global energy companies. At Taihan Cable & Solution's European headquarters, he reviewed local business operations and explored ways to expand cooperation with global renewable energy firms.


quq@heraldcorp.com