# Hanwha Systems space AI data center plan: orbital data center program

> South Korea (Asia-Pacific), prime contractor. Stage 1 of 7: Concept. Announced on 2026-07-03 as part of a group investment plan to 2040; no design or date for the data center.

- Canonical page: https://spacenexus.us/orbital-data-centers/hanwha-space-ai-data-center
- This Markdown version: https://spacenexus.us/orbital-data-centers/hanwha-space-ai-data-center.md
- Data as of: 2026-10-05 (last evidence review)
- How the numbers are made: https://spacenexus.us/orbital-data-centers#method

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## Stage evidence

- Announced on 2026-07-03 as part of a group investment plan to 2040; no design or date for the data center. Sources: [Korea JoongAng Daily](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/business/hanwha-to-invest-36b-in-launch-vehicles-satellites-and-orbiting-ai-data-center/12753789)
- Vision only: statements of intent or interest, not a program of its own.

## Key figures

- Group aerospace and AI plan to 2040: 55 KRW trillion (group-wide) (company claim). Sources: [Korea JoongAng Daily](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/business/hanwha-to-invest-36b-in-launch-vehicles-satellites-and-orbiting-ai-data-center/12753789)

## Approach

- Orbit: About 400 km LEO (reported)
- Architecture: Part of Hanwha Group's KRW 55 trillion plan to 2040: SAR constellation, an orbital space AI data center and a satcom network
- Power: Solar (reported)
- Cooling: Not disclosed
- Compute: Not disclosed
- Customers: Defense and sovereign intelligence

## Milestones

| Date | Status | Confidence | Milestone | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-07-03 | achieved | Confirmed | Group plan announced: KRW 55T by 2040, about KRW 20T to Hanwha Systems | [Korea JoongAng Daily](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/business/hanwha-to-invest-36b-in-launch-vehicles-satellites-and-orbiting-ai-data-center/12753789) |

## Announced next steps (as the organisation stated them)

- 2031: 64 SAR satellites operational (data source for the orbital data center). Sources: [Korea JoongAng Daily](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/business/hanwha-to-invest-36b-in-launch-vehicles-satellites-and-orbiting-ai-data-center/12753789)

## What to watch (SpaceNexus note, not a prediction)

Any design or date for the space AI data center itself.

## People

- Kim Dong-kwan (Vice Chairman, Hanwha Group)

## Sources

- [Korea JoongAng Daily](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/business/hanwha-to-invest-36b-in-launch-vehicles-satellites-and-orbiting-ai-data-center/12753789)

## Licence and credits

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