Wedoany.com Report-Oct. 30, AWS Chief Executive Officer Matt Garman announced a major new investment during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. The plan aims to accelerate the development of South Korea’s artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem, with AWS preparing to construct new data centres on the outskirts of Seoul.

Garman stated: “Korea is emerging as the epicentre of innovation. At AWS, we’ve invested and committed to investment of an additional $40 billion across 14 non-US APEC countries and economies between now and 2028. That $40 billion actually drives an additional $45 billion in US GDP and downstream benefit, benefiting all of the APEC economy.”

The initiative builds on AWS’s strong position in AI infrastructure investment. In June, the company unveiled plans to invest $4 billion in building South Korea’s largest data centre, in addition to other projects in Japan, Australia, and Singapore. These investments align with AWS’s strategy to enhance its global cloud network and support increasing demand for AI-driven digital infrastructure.

According to the South Korean presidential office, OpenAI is also advancing its presence in the country through partnerships with Samsung and SK Group to establish two joint data centres with an initial combined capacity of 20 megawatts. Seoul has been promoting a broader industrial strategy to attract high-tech manufacturing and AI-related infrastructure, aiming to strengthen its position in the global semiconductor and digital technology sectors.

President Lee Jae Myung remarked: “This partnership will accelerate Korea’s AI ecosystem and strengthen our bridge to global prosperity. We hope a vision of AI for all will become APEC’s new normal.”

The AWS initiative highlights growing competition among global technology companies to secure leadership in AI infrastructure. Analysts note that AWS’s investment strategy reflects its ambition to remain competitive against major industry players such as Google and Oracle. The move comes shortly after Amazon announced plans to cut 14,000 job roles, with CEO Andy Jassy suggesting that AI systems could streamline corporate operations and reduce the need for some positions.

The global race for AI infrastructure is intensifying, with cloud and technology companies committing massive capital expenditures to support next-generation computing. Research from Morgan Stanley estimates that global spending on AI-supporting data centres could reach around $3 trillion between now and 2029.

AWS’s latest investment represents a continuation of its broader commitment to advancing AI capabilities and supporting economic development across the Asia-Pacific region. With South Korea positioning itself as a hub for innovation, the collaboration between AWS, local industries, and government partners is expected to play a key role in shaping the region’s AI and data ecosystem in the coming years.