
South Korea’s grid technology - dubbed K-Grid – is under the spotlight as the U.S. power industry enters a supercycle boom.
According to power industry sources on Monday, demand for power infrastructure such as transformers and cables is booming in the United States due to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, the expansion of renewable energy, and the replacement of aging transmission networks.
K-Grid is also gaining attention for its differentiated technology and high product reliability.
When Maeil Business Newspaper visites Hyosung Heavy Industries Corp.’s plant on the outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee, rows of ultra-high-voltage transformers, each as tall as a four-story building, or about 15 meters, were lined up, awaiting shipment.
This facility is currently the only one in the U.S. capable of producing 765-kilovolt (kV) ultra-high-voltage transformers.
It has grown into the largest transformer production base in the country just four years after its launch in 2020.
“It truly feels like the era of an energy renaissance has arrived,” said Jason Neal, president of Hyosung HICO Ltd., Hyosung Heavy Industries’ transformer-manufacturing operation in the U.S.
“Every day is a battle to meet the demand from AI data centers built by companies such as Google LLC, Amazon.com Inc., and xAI Corp. (Tesla Inc.’s AI company),” he said.
The factory of LS Cable & System USA (LSCUS), a subsidiary of LS Cable & System Ltd. located in Tarboro, North Carolina, was also operating at full speed to produce low- and medium-voltage power cables.
“The U.S. power market is not just overflowing with orders; it is more like a laboratory for designing the future,” LSCUS Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Son Tae-won said. “With demand surging for AI, small modular reactors (SMRs), and renewable energy, there is a strong sense on the ground that this is just the beginning.”
The key players in K-Grid are four companies: Hyosung Heavy Industries and LS Electric Co., which produce power equipment such as transformers and circuit breakers, and LS Cable & System and Taihan Cable & Solution Co., which specialize in power cables.
Their combined order backlog stood at a record 23.45 trillion won ($16.96 billion) as of the end of the first quarter of 2025, up approximately 165 percent from 14.2 trillion won at the end of 2023.
The U.S. government plans to invest $240 billion by 2042 to replace 154,000 kilometers of transmission lines.
It also aims to invest $73 billion in power grid infrastructure - including transformers, transmission and distribution networks, and smart grids - by 2030.
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