데이터센터 · 리포트

KT는 2031년을 목표로 한 1GW 규모의 AI 데이터센터 계획을 발표했으며, 전체 용량의 80%가 이미 임대되었고 911MW 규모의 부지도 확보된 상태다.

일정대로 추진될 경우, 911MW의 확보된 부지와 80% 임대율을 기반으로 한 1GW 계획은 KT를 한국에서 통신사 주도의 주요 AI 용량 구축 기업으로 자리매김하게 할 것이다.

업계 전문지Slicast · 2026년 11월 10일 14:10 UTC · 미국 · 출처: MLQ.ai

중요도 75

KT plans to supply more than 1 gigawatt of AI data center capacity by 2031, "based on actual demand," Kim Bong-gyun, head of the South Korean carrier's enterprise division, said on its third-quarter earnings call on Tuesday. KT currently operates 152 MW and has secured a pipeline of 911 MW across 20 sites, plus about 500 MW across 10 backup sites.

Of the 1 GW, "80% would be leased and 20% would be our owned data centers," an executive said on the call, adding that financing, including debt, would be chosen with KT's debt ratio in mind. About 200 MW of the main pipeline has been approved this year, with roughly 60 MW more expected in the last two months of 2026. Sites in the Seoul metropolitan area with power and permits secured will come first, while projects elsewhere will wait for tenant demand.

**Results and returns**

Third-quarter results, as reported on the call:

| Q3 2026 | KRW | YoY |

|---|---|---|

| Operating revenue | 6,997.5B | -1.8% |

| Operating profit | 505.3B | -6.1% |

| Net income | 367.3B | -17.5% |

| EBITDA | 1,428.3B | -5.0% |

Excluding a one-time property gain a year earlier, operating profit rose 3.5%. Wireless service revenue fell 3.9% to 1,666.8 billion won after a customer compensation program that ended in the summer, while KT Cloud revenue grew 7.7%. Enterprise orders rose more than 20% in the first nine months, and KT expects them to start turning into revenue in 2027.

Management reaffirmed a 9%-10% return-on-equity target for 2028, a minimum dividend of 2,400 won per share for 2026, and a goal of 1 trillion won in cumulative buybacks by 2028, after completing 250 billion won in September.

The 1 GW figure was first set out in July, when chief executive Park Yoon-young announced about 18 trillion won of AI-related investment, including 5 trillion won for AI data centers. KT and its main group companies spent 1,599.1 billion won on capital expenditure in the first nine months. Domestic rival SK Telecom this week agreed with Nvidia and Rebellions to pair Korean NPUs with Nvidia GPUs.

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