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South Korea's data center opportunity hinges on power and water

A Korean news compilation examines how US resistance to AI infrastructure could attract investment abroad while creating risks for Korean exporters.

Channel: KBS News ·

South KoreaStory of November 12, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of KBS News's most watched videos since yesterday, with 806,308 views.

KBS News: The news division of KBS, South Korea's public broadcaster. 3.7M subscribers and 12B views.

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Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:26Kwon says US regulatory pledges are encouraging big tech to consider South Korea, citing Amazon and Microsoft investments.
1:31Fast-track approvals, tax incentives and Nvidia cooperation form his case for South Korea's appeal.
3:42Transmission lines, cooling-water supplies and dedicated power tariffs remain hurdles to building data centers.
4:58Equipment exporters and chipmakers face potential consequences if US opposition slows AI infrastructure investment.
8:47US reporting connects local resistance in Texas and Ohio with concerns over electricity and water consumption.
12:07The closing report describes technology-stock and semiconductor-fund declines amid regulatory uncertainty.

Tax breaks and faster approvals could help South Korea attract AI data centers, but getting enough electricity and cooling water to them remains a practical obstacle, economic commentator Kwon Hyuk-joong says.

South Korea's Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) News examines that tension in a compilation linking American opposition to data centers with Korean investment opportunities. Its argument is not simply that construction could move abroad: restrictions in the United States could also weaken demand for the Korean equipment and chips that supply the industry.

Kwon cites Amazon and Microsoft investments as evidence of interest in South Korea. He identifies three advantages: streamlined regulation, political agreement on support for the industry, and cooperation with Nvidia, whose processors underpin much AI computing.

He says an AI Data Center Special Act passed with bipartisan support in May and is due to take effect next March. The segment describes tax credits of up to 15% for large companies. But Kwon also identifies unfinished work: transmission lines to carry electricity, water supplies for cooling, and dedicated electricity tariffs.

The American backdrop is a midterm election that gave Democrats control of both chambers of Congress. The report presents pledges of tighter regulation alongside local objections over data centers' demands on power and water, including in Texas and Ohio.

Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa says in the footage: "We need to stop what we're doing with data centers until we have those protections."

The compilation then follows the consequences through Korean industry. Kim So-young examines the implications for equipment suppliers including Doosan Enerbility and LG Electronics. Lee Jae-yi considers risks to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix if American resistance slows AI infrastructure spending. A final report describes sharp falls in US technology and semiconductor investments amid regulatory uncertainty.

For South Korea, the opportunity and the exposure sit together: attracting a data center is different from securing continued demand for everything that goes inside it.

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