South Korea's leading defense and aerospace conglomerate, Hanwha Group, announced on Friday its intention to invest 55 trillion won, equivalent to approximately 356 billion US dollars, in the aerospace and artificial intelligence sectors by the year 2040. This substantial funding is earmarked for the development of launch vehicles, satellites, and AI data centers.
The investment roadmap was detailed by the group's Vice Chairman, Kim Dong-kwan, during a public briefing presided over by South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in Jinju, a city in the southeast. This initiative forms part of a broader governmental project designed to attract significant investments into the AI and high-tech industries.
Kim stated that this ambitious plan aligns with South Korea's overarching strategy to bolster its domestic defense capabilities and reduce reliance on foreign satellite and intelligence infrastructure.
"The future of autonomous defense lies in space," Kim emphasized. "Leveraging our own launch vehicle and satellite technologies, Hanwha will establish Korea's independent capability to acquire the necessary information."
Under this strategy, Hanwha Aerospace is set to invest approximately 23 trillion won in space launch vehicles, assembly facilities, and testing infrastructure for these rockets.
An additional 20 trillion won will be allocated towards developing ultra-low Earth orbit synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, space-based AI data centers, and a low Earth orbit satellite communications network.
Hanwha's comprehensive space infrastructure plan includes a constellation of observation satellites operating at an altitude of about 350 kilometers, a space AI data center positioned at 400 kilometers, and a low Earth orbit satellite communications network at 900 kilometers for the real-time transmission of images and other data.
Its subsidiary, Hanwha Systems, aims to launch and operate a fleet of 64 SAR satellites by 2031 to provide continuous, real-time Earth observation.
The company inaugurated South Korea's largest privately-owned satellite manufacturing facility in Jeju Island, a southern resort area, in December last year. It also plans to construct a space AI data center to store and analyze the data gathered by its satellite fleet.
Furthermore, the company intends to deploy 192 low Earth orbit communications satellites, with plans for over 60 additional satellites to extend operational lifespans and expand coverage to the Arctic region.
As an initial step, Hanwha will establish a defense AI data center in Changwon, an industrial city in the southeast that serves as the nation's defense manufacturing hub.
This data center is scheduled to commence operations this year with an initial capacity of 45 megawatts. It will undergo phased expansion, with a target capacity of 135 megawatts by 2032.
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