LS Cable & System Ltd. and LS Electric Co., in partnership with Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), plan to build the world’s first superconducting power grid at a hyperscale data center currently under construction in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province.

LS Cable and LS Electric said on Thursday that they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with KEPCO for technological cooperation on deploying superconducting power grids for data centers. Attendees at the signing ceremony included KEPCO President Kim Dong-cheol, LS Electric Chairman Koo Ja-kyun, and LS Cable & System Chief Executive Officer Koo Bon-kyu.

The three companies aim to complete the superconducting power grid at the Gapyeong data center, which is scheduled to be completed by 2028. Under the agreement, KEPCO will oversee technical validation and regulatory coordination, LS Cable & System will design and manufacture superconducting cables, and LS Electric will supply superconducting fault current limiters and other power equipment.

Superconducting power grids are being touted as a tailored solution for meeting the surging electricity demand driven by AI data centers. Superconducting cables can transmit much more power than conventional cables of the same diameter by leveraging superconductors’ zero-resistance property at certain temperatures, enabling nearly lossless power transmission.

These systems also reduce installation size and costs by allowing large substations to be replaced with compact stations about one-tenth the size. Additionally, superconducting fault current limiters immediately block fault currents, minimizing equipment damage and data loss risks and enhancing grid reliability.

The companies plan to expand cooperation in developing and demonstrating superconducting grid technologies and will pursue initiatives to foster the industry ecosystem and jointly enter overseas markets.

“This collaboration between three leading power industry companies on the world’s first superconducting power grid for data centers is a significant milestone,” LS Electric Chairman Koo Ja-kyun said, adding that LS Cable & System’s superconducting cables and LS Electric’s advanced fault current limiters will offer optimal solutions for the eco-friendly power grid market.

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