S. Korea's KT Corp.'s New Data Center to Lead Digital Transformation

SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- KT Corporation (KRX: 030200; NYSE: KT), South Korea's largest telecommunications company, opened a new Internet Data Center (IDC) that promises super-capacity performance and stability to spearhead digital transformation (DX) for businesses at home and abroad.

Located in the heart of Seoul, KT's 13^th IDC, named 'KT DX IDC Yongsan,' can accommodate more than 100,000 servers and is capable of storing all of the information inside the National Library of Korea 30,000 times over. It is housed in a seven-story building with six underground floors that have a total space of 48,000 square meters.

"KT DX IDC Yongsan is another step forward for KT to transform itself into the global No. 1 digital platform company for AI, Big Data and Cloud,'' said Yun Dong-Sik, Executive Vice President of KT's Cloud/DX Business Unit. "KT will be the best DX partner for its clients to help them actively prepare for a fast-changing future, especially amid COVID-19 pandemic and the government's drive to promote digital transformation.''

As Korea's top leader in DX, KT plans to turn IDC Yongsan into an artificial intelligence (AI) data center to bring about a drastic change in the management of data centers in the country. It plans to develop data from its experience and know-how based on more than 20 years of IDC operation and to use it for AI platform-based facility automation and improvement of management efficiency.

KT also plans to enhance efficiency in space management with 3D modeling, build an automatic diagnostic system based on the Internet of Things and Big Data, and push for digital transformation of its own IDCs with integrated management.

KT DX IDC Yongsan offers one-stop services for its global clients by facilitating direct links to Amazon, Google and all other cloud systems, domestic and foreign, through its Hyper Connectivity eXchange service (HCX). The company operates five cloud data centers inside and outside of Korea, including one in Los Angeles.

The new IDC center can process data at a volume of Tbps, a first in Korea, ensuring unprecedented service stability. Together with KT's five other IDCs in the Seoul metropolitan region, it establishes a powerful network with maximum eight intra-network paths. This enables data to bypass an IDC during an upsurge in traffic and access the backbone without a hitch.

KT DX IDC Yongsan's close proximity to Seoul's major communication facilities in Guro and Hyehwa areas minimizes Internet and bandwidth latencies. Client companies' management of IDC-based digital transformation, or DX, also will be more convenient since they can easily visit the Yongsan center.

Korean telecom leader also provides services in operation and management as a managed service provider (MSP). Managed services, or services of outsourcing the responsibility for maintaining a range of processes and functions, are needed in an information technology environment characterized by the mix of local devices and clouds.

KT has significantly improved the scalability of the server rooms at the Yongsan center with the building's built-in infrastructure. The server rooms have built-in thermostats and modular UPS (Interruptible Power Source) systems that can provide backup battery power if there is an electricity outage. They also have elastic capacity to accommodate a 4kW-level low-density zone to a 15kW-level high-density zone.

KT DX IDC Yongsan also boasts an infrastructure that sharply reduces electricity use for air-conditioning. High-efficiency equipment, including chilled-water thermostats, free-cooling chillers, cooling fans and inverter-type air-conditioners, can lower the electricity cost for air-conditioning by more than 20 percent. The savings are an equivalent to 26,000 tons of carbon emissions, or 3,850,000 trees per year.

IDC Yongsan is meticulously prepared for emergencies to ensure uninterrupted service. It has dual substations, a first in Korea, and its receiving voltage is 154 kV, the highest among IDCs in the Seoul area. In addition, the pillar-free server rooms are designed for the 'top tier' seismic resistance performance in local criteria. It also has a four-layer security system from the building's doors to server rooms.

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ABOUT KT CORPORATION (KRX: 030200; NYSE: KT)

KT Corp., Korea's largest telecommunications service provider, is leading the new era of innovations in one of the world's most connected countries with 5G, Big Data, Cloud, IoT, Blockchain and other transformative technologies. KT launched the world's first nationwide commercial 5G network in April 2019, after showcasing the first trial 5G services at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in February 2018. To help cope with COVID-19, KT is staging a social campaign, dubbed "Ma-Eum:TACT (Heart to Heart)," providing technology supports for people and businesses in need. KT will deliver most essential and innovative services and solutions to its customers around the world as the first frontier in the next technology revolution and number one Global ICT Company.

For more information, please visit our English website at https://corp.kt.com/eng/

SOURCE KT Corp.