Investment firm Warburg Pincus is funding the development of a new data center outside Seoul, South Korea.

The company this week announced that it has partnered with DC Connects, a South Korean data center developer, and Wide Creek AMC, a Seoul-based asset manager, to acquire a greenfield site in Yongin City and develop an 80MW data center.

Construction on the 58,000 sqm (624,305 sq ft) facility has officially commenced, following a recent groundbreaking. The data center is targeted to be ready for service by 2027.

DC Connects’ website says its Yongin facility will offer 56MW of IT capacity across two buildings, with six data halls and two meet-me rooms per building.

The Soul01 data center will feature an air- and liquid-cooling system, including fan walls and coolant distribution units (CDUs), capable of supporting densities ranging from 60kW to 200kW.

Dongkun Cho, principal of Warburg Pincus, said: “South Korea represents one of the most compelling markets for next-generation digital infrastructure investment. As Asia’s fourth-largest economy and one of the most advanced ICT ecosystems globally, the country continues to experience accelerating demand for data capacity, driven by AI adoption, cloud migration, and the government’s ‘Digital New Deal’ initiative. At the same time, the Greater Seoul area faces a limited pipeline of large-scale, well-permitted sites with secured power, creating a highly attractive supply–demand dynamic. Partnering with DC Connects and Wide Creek AMC, we are excited to develop a state-of-the-art, 80MW hyperscale data center in Yongin that will deliver reliability, efficiency, and high-density capabilities to meet the evolving needs of global and domestic technology leaders.”

Founded in 1966, Warburg Pincus has more than $86 billion in assets under management. Its data center investments include Princeton Digital Group, Evolution Data Centers, ESR, and Bohao in China. The company is said to be interested in acquiring part of Global Switch.

DC Connects is a new data center developer focused on South Korea, listed on its website as a portfolio company under the infrastructure arm of Warburg Pincus. The company lists plans for two more facilities in the greater Seoul area, but doesn’t provide further details.

DC Connects founder and CEO, Jae Woo Choi, most recently served as country head of DCI Data Center and has previously worked at Amazon Web Services. On LinkedIn, he is also listed as CEO of data center consulting firm NFD, which lists projects in Yongin and Ansan and is listed as a DC Connects affiliate.

Choi added: “We are proud to break ground on a strategic asset designed from the ground up to meet growing demand from global and local cloud and AI leaders. With 80MW of capacity, best-in-class cooling and power systems, and built-in flexibility for rapid deployment, this data center will deliver the reliability, efficiency, and high-density capabilities that tenants need to operate at scale. This project brings together global expertise, local knowledge, and the dedication of our homegrown team. Together with our partners, we are committed to building secure, future-ready data centers that support our tenants’ long-term growth.”

Founded in 2020, South Korean real estate investor Wide Creek has previously partnered with Warburg, forming a joint venture in 2023 to invest in logistics, data centers, life sciences, and business parks. To date, the JV has acquired two warehouse buildings.

Hosung Lee, investment director of Wide Creek Asset Management, said: “We are pleased to announce the groundbreaking of our second hyperscale data center project. Located in southern Greater Seoul, the asset will be the only hyperscale data center expected to be operational in the area within the next three years, offering exceptional accessibility and industry-leading specifications to clients. The new data center is designed to serve as the optimal choice for clients pursuing AI adoption and digital transformation. We believe that this investment underscores our proven capabilities across the entire development cycle — from strategic land acquisition and regulatory approvals to contractor selection and construction management. Looking ahead, we plan to continue investing in the new economy sector through our strong partnership with Warburg Pincus.”