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Nvidia and SK Group Launch $500 Billion AI Infrastructure and Memory Partnership

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Nvidia and South Korea’s SK Group have announced a multi-year AI initiative valued at more than $500 billion, marking one of the largest collaborations in artificial intelligence infrastructure and semiconductor development to date.

The partnership combines investments in next-generation AI data centers, advanced memory technologies, and long-term semiconductor supply agreements aimed at supporting the rapidly growing demand for generative AI, AI agents, and future intelligent computing platforms.

A central component of the initiative is a long-term strategic partnership between Nvidia and SK Hynix. Under the agreement, SK Hynix will provide next-generation memory solutions for Nvidia’s AI processors while the two companies collaborate on developing future generations of High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) technologies.

HBM has become one of the most critical components of modern AI systems, providing the ultra-fast data transfer speeds required by advanced graphics processors during AI model training and inference. As AI models continue to increase in size and complexity, demand for high-performance memory is expected to remain one of the fastest-growing segments of the semiconductor industry.

The infrastructure portion of the initiative will be led by SK Telecom, which plans to construct a 2-gigawatt AI data center powered by Nvidia’s upcoming Vera Rubin AI architecture together with SK Hynix’s HBM4 memory. The first facility is expected to become operational in 2027, representing a major expansion of South Korea’s AI computing capacity.

A 2-gigawatt campus would rank among the world’s largest AI-focused data center developments, reflecting the enormous computing resources required to support next-generation artificial intelligence applications.

Beyond the new infrastructure project, Nvidia also announced plans to expand AI computing capacity in South Korea through a separate collaboration with Naver and Brookfield. The companies intend to increase the scale of Naver’s AI data center operations, further strengthening the country’s position as an emerging regional AI infrastructure hub.

The announcement highlights how AI investment is increasingly extending beyond processors alone. Modern AI systems depend on an integrated ecosystem of advanced GPUs, high-bandwidth memory, networking technologies, and hyperscale data centers working together to deliver the computational performance required for enterprise AI workloads.

For Nvidia, the partnership helps secure long-term access to one of the world’s most important suppliers of advanced AI memory. For SK Group and SK Hynix, it reinforces their strategic role within the global AI supply chain as demand for HBM continues to accelerate.

The initiative also underscores a broader industry trend in which technology companies are forming long-term strategic alliances to secure semiconductor supply, expand AI infrastructure, and reduce supply chain uncertainty as global competition for AI computing resources intensifies.

Laos to cut electricity to crypto miners by 2026, prioritising AI and clean industry

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Laos plans to stop supplying electricity to cryptocurrency miners by the first quarter of 2026, shifting focus toward industries that contribute more directly to economic growth, such as AI data centers, metals refining, and electric vehicles, the country’s Deputy Energy Minister Chanthaboun Soukaloun told Reuters.

The landlocked Southeast Asian nation saw a crypto mining boom after a 2021 policy shift that attracted operators with cheap hydropower. However, the government now says the sector offers low economic value, creating few jobs and limited local supply chains.

“Crypto doesn’t create value compared to supplying power to industrial or commercial consumers,” Soukaloun said, noting that the government originally approved mining operations to absorb surplus electricity.

Power allocation to miners has already been reduced from 500 megawatts in 2021–2022 to around 150 MW, a 70% cut. Soukaloun added that while the government had planned to end supply earlier, abundant hydropower generation this year allowed operations to continue temporarily.

Often referred to as the “battery of Southeast Asia”, Laos exports most of its hydropower to Thailand and Vietnam and is now exploring increasing bilateral capacity to Vietnam beyond the current 8,000 MW.

Soukaloun also confirmed that talks with China are underway over a $555 million arbitration claim by a subsidiary of the Power Construction Corp of China regarding a hydropower project dispute.

Additionally, Laos expects to resume electricity exports to Singapore via the Lao-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore (LTMS) corridor soon, pending final terms with Thailand.

Renewables stocks surge as investor inflows return and power demand outlook brightens

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After two years in decline, renewable energy stocks are staging a strong comeback, driven by renewed investor inflows and a powerful shift in global electricity demand. The sector has posted its best quarterly performance since 2020, as confidence returns amid clearer U.S. policy direction and soaring energy needs from AI data centers and electrification.

Data from Lipper shows alternative energy funds attracted nearly $800 million in September, their biggest monthly inflow since April 2022, while Morningstar reports fund outflows have dropped to their lowest in over a year. The MSCI Global Alternative Energy Index rose 17% in the third quarter, doubling the broader market’s gains.

BlackRock’s Alastair Bishop said valuations had become so depressed that even negative policy news turned into a “positive catalyst,” helping investors refocus on fundamentals. Similarly, Robeco’s Roman Boner said inflows into the firm’s clean-energy strategies have resumed.

The rally has been powered by Big Tech’s AI-fueled data center boom, accelerating electrification of transport and industry, and upgrades to grid infrastructure. U.S. power consumption, flat for a decade, is now expected to surge, with solar-plus-storage emerging as the fastest way to meet demand. “Every electron counts,” Boner said.

Private equity is also reentering the space, with Global Infrastructure Partners reportedly in talks to acquire AES Corp. Analysts say renewable stocks still trade at a 40% discount to global equities, leaving room for upside as earnings momentum builds.

Despite risks from higher interest rates and political shifts, managers believe the rally could persist as short positions unwind and clean-energy earnings recover.