❯ Samsung Group commits another $1 billion to Helix, the AI infrastructure company launched by KKR

Six Samsung companies, $1 billionThe Wall Street Journal reports that Samsung Group has committed $1 billion more to the AI infrastructure company Helix. According to Samsung’s press release, Samsung Electronics is putting in $500 million, with Samsung C&T, Samsung SDS, Samsung SDI, Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance providing the rest.

Data centers, power and fiberHelix was launched in June under KKR and spans hyperscale data centers, power generation and fiber-optic networks. Its founding investors include KKR, Nvidia, the Kuwait Investment Authority and US power company Vistra, and its CEO is Adam Selipsky, former AWS chief. KKR says more than $10 billion had already been committed, and Samsung’s money is on top of that.

Why Samsung is inThe six members cover memory chips, construction, IT services, batteries and insurance capital, which map roughly onto the chain from building a data center to powering it. Samsung is an investor, and it may also become a supplier to Helix. For Helix it is another slug of long-term capital; for Samsung it is a way to place itself on the demand side of AI infrastructure.

▪ SIGNALAI infrastructure is becoming something suppliers, energy companies and sovereign funds fund together, and no single company can carry it alone.