Samsung Commits $1.0 Billion to AI Infrastructure Firm Backed by KKR, Nvidia — Update

By P.R. Venkat and Fabiana Negrin Ochoa

Samsung has agreed to commit $1.0 billion to an artificial-intelligence infrastructure company backed by KKR and Nvidia, adding to the wave of financing for AI-enabling architecture.

The investment in Helix Digital Infrastructure brings the platform's total secured capital to more than $11 billion, which will support its strategy of delivering the next generation of data centers, power generation and transmission needed to support AI demand.

A KKR-led consortium established Helix in June with anchor investors including Nvidia, the Kuwait Investment Authority and power generation and retail electricity company Vistra.

Adam Selipsky, chief executive and co-founder of Helix, said Samsung's commitment is a "vote of confidence" in the firm's strategy to meet unprecedented demand from hyperscalers to provide increasingly complex AI infrastructure at speed.

Tech giants such as Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and Google parent Alphabet have spent hundreds of billions of dollars on the AI buildout, and the pace shows little sign of slowing as businesses face shortages and bottlenecks involving energy, fiber-optic cabling, cooling capacity and land for data centers. The four companies' AI capital spending reached $410 billion last year, nearly triple the 2022 level.

Estimates by economist Stijn van Nieuwerburgh published by the Brookings Institution project that investment in data centers and related AI infrastructure will total $10.3 trillion over 2025-32.

Alongside Nvidia's role in full-stack technology and AI infrastructure and Vistra's role in power, Helix expects to leverage Samsung's capabilities across advanced technology, construction, energy storage and cooling to support AI infrastructure development at scale.

South Korean companies have committed massive funds to capitalize on the AI boom at home and abroad. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix plan to invest over $520 billion in a southwest semiconductor hub, part of a $2 trillion government-led initiative to build full domestic AI capabilities.

KKR has also invested directly in South Korea's AI infrastructure. In April, the asset manager, which has about $758 billion asset management, agreed to invest $820 million in IT services group Samsung SDS to fund AI infrastructure, platforms, and services.

"South Korea and Japan are large and important markets for hyperscalers," said Waldemar Szlezak, chief investment officer at Helix and global head of digital infrastructure at KKR.

Helix sees numerous opportunities in AI infrastructure and is looking to provide long-dated, patient capital while maintaining a disciplined approach to investments, he said.

In July, KKR and SK Inc. agreed to launch a $1.3 billion renewable-energy platform in South Korea. The following month, KKR and Korean investors committed $2.2 billion to SK Telecom's new AI data-center company.

KKR has invested approximately $9 billion across its Korean strategies since 2009 and over $75 billion globally in digital and power infrastructure. It is also expanding AI investments in Asia-Pacific.

It is also expanding AI investments in Asia-Pacific. In September, it teamed up with Singapore telecom operator Singtel to acquire ST Telemedia Global Data Centres in a deal valuing the company at $10.9 billion.

Write to P.R. Venkat at venkat.pr@wsj.com and Fabiana Negrin Ochoa at fabiana.negrinochoa@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 28, 2026 19:48 ET (23:48 GMT)