The Kakao data center in Ansan, built by Hanwha's construction division. [Hanwha Construction Division]
The Kakao data center in Ansan, built by Hanwha's construction division. [Hanwha Construction Division]

Hanwha's construction division is set to carry out government-backed research projects aimed at improving power efficiency in AI data centers. The company plans to demonstrate technologies spanning power demand forecasting, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, and direct liquid cooling — all designed to cut energy consumption and strengthen operational stability.

The construction arm of Hanwha announced Wednesday that it has been selected as a project operator for an energy efficiency research initiative led by the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy and the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning. Drawing on its experience designing and building data centers, the company will work to sharpen its competitive edge in AI data center energy savings through power and cooling technologies.

The three project areas are demand-response resource management for data centers, development of a high-efficiency modular UPS, and direct liquid cooling technology for high-density AI data centers. Hanwha's construction division will handle on-site application and demonstration. The company has formed an industry-academia-research consortium with Ion Co., Hanyang University and the Korea Electronics Technology Institute, and the combined budget across the three projects totals 43.8 billion won ($31 million).

The demand-response resource management project uses AI to forecast server power consumption and cooling loads, enabling higher power efficiency. Hanwha's construction division aims to reduce peak energy usage by more than 10 percent by reviewing power systems, equipment configurations and operating conditions.

The company will also demonstrate vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology using its proprietary ceiling-mounted electric vehicle charging system, "EV Air Station." The system feeds power stored in EV batteries back into the grid, and the project will explore the potential of using EV charging infrastructure to supply power to data centers and other facilities in the future.

The high-efficiency modular UPS project focuses on developing technology that reduces power loss while allowing maintenance to proceed without interrupting data center operation. The goal is to push power conversion efficiency from the current roughly 90 percent up to as high as 97.5 percent. The company believes that once commercialized, the technology will also help reduce dependence on overseas equipment by substituting domestically produced alternatives.

Hanwha's construction division will also participate in research on direct liquid cooling to address heat dissipation challenges in high-density AI servers. Direct liquid cooling removes heat by bringing liquid into direct contact with the heat source. The project targets a reduction in cooling-related power consumption of up to 90 percent or more compared with conventional air-cooling methods.

The company plans to use the technologies and demonstration experience gained through these government projects to offer energy solutions optimized for AI data centers, and to expand its data center business from design and construction into energy operations management.

Meanwhile, Hanwha's construction division has completed a cumulative total of 13 data center projects, including the Changwon national defense AI data center — which accommodates more than 100,000 servers — and the Kakao data center in Ansan. Construction is under way on several more facilities targeting completion in 2028, including the Hanwha Second Data Center in Anseong, the Y-eDC data center in Yeongdeungpo and the Changwon national defense AI data center.

"This government project will serve as an opportunity to expand our data center business from design and construction into the energy sector, and to accelerate the introduction of bidirectional V2G charging technology using ceiling-mounted EV chargers," said Kim Min-seok, head of Hanwha's architecture business division. "Building on this, we will strengthen our capabilities to develop next-generation data centers with improved energy efficiency and operational stability."


quq@heraldcorp.com