Samsung group invests $1 bil. in KKR-founded AI infrastructure firm
A promotion image of Helix Digital Infrastructure / Captured from Helix Digital Infrastructure website
Samsung Electronics and five of its affiliates will invest $1 billion in Helix Digital Infrastructure, an artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure firm established by global investment firm KKR, as part of their efforts to strengthen their foothold in the broader data center ecosystem.
Samsung Group said Tuesday that Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T, Samsung SDS, Samsung SDI, Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance will invest in Helix. Samsung Electronics will contribute $500 million, with the other affiliates investing the remaining $500 million.
Helix was established in June as an AI infrastructure company providing integrated services across hyperscale data center development and operation, power generation, power transmission and distribution infrastructure, fiber-optic networks and other network infrastructure. It is led by CEO Adam Selipsky, former CEO of Amazon Web Services.
The Samsung affiliates will join KKR, the Kuwait Investment Authority, Nvidia and U.S. power company Vistra as founding investors in Helix.
The companies did not disclose details of their planned cooperation with Helix, but said they will explore opportunities across semiconductors, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), construction, data center operations, power and batteries.
Samsung Electronics’ Device Solutions division has advanced semiconductor supply capabilities, while its Device Experience division has been expanding its data center cooling business through FlaktGroup, the data center HVAC specialist it acquired last year.
Samsung C&T’s construction unit has engineering, procurement and construction capabilities for data centers and power facilities, while Samsung SDS specializes in data center design, construction and operation. Samsung SDS has also recently expanded into graphics processing unit-as-a-service.
Samsung SDI plans to explore additional business opportunities in uninterruptible power supply systems and battery backup units, which are essential for ensuring a stable power supply to data centers.
Helix plans to invest in both data centers and the power infrastructure needed to operate them. To secure electricity, one of the biggest bottlenecks in AI infrastructure development, the company plans to combine its own investments with its partnership with Vistra to secure power supplies promptly.
Samsung said the investment is intended to secure next-generation leadership across the emerging AI data center ecosystem, as the rapid expansion of data centers creates new business opportunities spanning power, cooling, semiconductors and finance.