Six Samsung affiliates, including Samsung Electronics, will invest $1 billion (about 1.36 trillion KRW) in a U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure company established by global investment firm KKR.
This is a strategic move to move beyond supplying components like AI semiconductors and enter the ecosystem for constructing and operating AI data centers (AIDCs). Samsung Electronics and the other affiliates have also paved the way to supply equipment and facilities to AI data centers built by Helix in the future.
Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T, Samsung SDS, Samsung SDI, Samsung Life Insurance, and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance announced on Sept. 29 that they agreed to invest a total of $1 billion in Helix Digital Infrastructure (Helix), which was established by KKR. Samsung Electronics will contribute $500m, and the remaining five affiliates will share the remaining $500m.
Helix is an integrated AI infrastructure platform launched in June. It invests in, builds, and operates the infrastructure required for AI data centers in a single package—ranging from hyperscale data center development and operation, baseload and flexible power generation, power transmission and distribution networks, to optical communication networks.
Helix operates under an infrastructure fund structure. Its target fund size is $10 billion (about 13.6 trillion KRW), with the possibility of an increase. The equity stakes for individual investors have not yet been determined. Once individual data center projects become operational, additional capital will be raised on a project-by-project basis.
What sets Helix apart is that it secures data centers and the power to run them simultaneously. Its strategy is to resolve the power source bottleneck—considered the biggest hurdle in expanding AI infrastructure—through its own investments and collaboration with founding investor Vistra. Nvidia also participates as a strategic partner, backing AI semiconductors and technology.
What Samsung is focusing on is the business opportunities resulting from its equity participation. When Helix moves forward with actual AI data center construction, participating Samsung affiliates will be positioned a step ahead in supplying equipment.
A prime example is HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning). FlaktGroup, a data center HVAC specialist subsidiary acquired by Samsung Electronics in 2025, possesses cooling solutions ranging from air cooling to Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs) for liquid cooling. Leveraging its 14 global production bases and supply/service networks across 65 countries, it is expected to secure priority in winning orders for Helix data center HVAC facilities.
Other affiliates are also positioned across the AI data center value chain. The DS Division at Samsung Electronics can supply advanced AI semiconductors, while the Engineering & Construction Group at Samsung C&T can handle engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) for data centers and power plants.
Samsung SDS possesses capabilities in data center design, construction, operation, and GPU cloud services (GPUaaS), while Samsung SDI holds Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) and Battery Backup Unit (BBU) technologies. This means the group can assemble a “full package” spanning from chips to cooling, power, construction, and operation. Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance will invest in long-term infrastructure assets to secure stable sources of revenue.
With this $1 billion investment, Samsung aims to expand its component competitiveness into influence at the system and infrastructure levels. A Samsung official said, “We plan to cooperate with Helix and partner companies to contribute to the global supply of AI data center infrastructure and continuously create synergies.”
