Samsung will invest a total of $1 billion in U.S. AI (artificial intelligence) infrastructure companies alongside Nvidia and others. The move aims to strengthen global-level core platform cooperation for the AI era, spanning from data centers to power and network infrastructure, based on the component competitiveness held by its affiliated companies.
Six companies, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T, Samsung SDS, Samsung SDI, Samsung Life Insurance, and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, announced on the 29th that they have decided to invest a total of $1 billion in "Helix Digital Infrastructure (Helix)," an AI infrastructure company established by U.S. global investment firm KKR. The breakdown includes $500 million from Samsung Electronics and $500 million from the remaining five companies.
Helix, which announced its launch last June, is a company that provides integrated AI-related infrastructure, including hyperscale data center development and operation, power generation (base and flexible power), transmission and distribution infrastructure, and optical communication and network infrastructure. It is led by Adam Selipsky, former CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), with its management team composed of experts in the data center and power industries. Additionally, it leverages the capabilities of approximately 170 KKR infrastructure specialists.
Samsung affiliates will participate as founding investors in Helix alongside investment firms, semiconductor companies, and power companies that lead the global AI infrastructure ecosystem, such as KKR, Nvidia, U.S. power company Vistra, and the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA).
Helix is evaluated as targeting the foundation of the AI industry by investing in both data centers and the power infrastructure required to operate them. In particular, to secure power sources, which are the biggest bottleneck in AI infrastructure, the company plans to rapidly secure power not only through its own investments but also by leveraging its partnership with Vistra, one of its investors.
AI data centers are increasingly evolving into core platforms that go beyond simple capital investment targets, encompassing diverse business models such as GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) cloud services (GPUaaS), sovereign AI (strategies for independent AI development by nations or corporations), and colocation (server space leasing). Simultaneously, they are creating a new industrial ecosystem spanning power, cooling, semiconductors, and finance. Samsung plans to secure leadership in this ecosystem based on this investment.
A Samsung official stated, "This will be an opportunity to expand the component competitiveness held by our affiliates into influence at the system and infrastructure level." The official added, "Through this, Samsung is expected to broaden its standing from being merely a component supplier in the AI ecosystem to becoming an entity directly participating in building the infrastructure ecosystem."
By division, first, the DS (semiconductor) division of Samsung Electronics will support global AI infrastructure development by responding nimbly to changes in global semiconductor demand and supplying cutting-edge semiconductor products. The DX (finished goods) division of Samsung Electronics will supply data center cooling products and solutions, ranging from air-cooling product lines to liquid cooling distribution units (CDUs), through Flex Group, a specialized data center HVAC subsidiary acquired in 2025. Flex Group can respond to the rapid expansion demands of hyperscalers through its 14 production bases and supply/service network across 65 countries worldwide.
The construction division of Samsung C&T is actively pursuing large-scale infrastructure projects as an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor in data center construction and power generation. As an IT (information technology) service provider, Samsung SDS performs data center design, construction, and operation businesses, and has recently expanded its business scope to include GPUaaS.
Samsung SDI is recognized for having world-class technological capabilities in the fields of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and battery backup units (BBU), which are essential for operating data centers that run high-performance servers 24 hours a day. The company's strategy is to secure additional business opportunities in this field, where ultra-high-output and high-capacity battery technology is key.
A Samsung official stated, "Samsung affiliates, including Samsung Electronics, plan to contribute to the smooth supply of global AI data center infrastructure together with Helix and partner companies, and to continuously pursue mutual synergy creation, taking this investment as an opportunity."
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