Samsung commits $1 billion to KKR-backed Helix AI infrastructure

Samsung Group said on 29 September it will invest a combined $1 billion in Helix Digital Infrastructure, a U.S. artificial intelligence infrastructure company backed by private equity firm KKR & Co. Six affiliates will participate: Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T, Samsung SDS, Samsung SDI, Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance. Samsung Electronics will invest $500 million, and the other five affiliates will invest a combined $500 million.morningstar.com+1

The investment makes the six Samsung affiliates founding investors in Helix alongside KKR, Nvidia, Vistra and the Kuwait Investment Authority. Samsung said it plans to seek synergies by linking the technologies and business capabilities of its affiliates with Helix's infrastructure business. The commitment builds on more than $10 billion of capital already committed to the Helix strategy, and it brings Helix's total secured capital to more than $11 billion.en.yna.co.kr

How the $1 billion splits

Helix was launched in June 2026 by a KKR-led consortium with anchor investors including Nvidia, the Kuwait Investment Authority and power generation company Vistra, with more than $10 billion in committed long-term capital. Helix debuted on 11 June 2026. The company is led by Adam Selipsky, chief executive and co-founder of Helix and former chief executive of Amazon Web Services. Waldemar Szlezak, from KKR's infrastructure team, serves as chief investment officer.

Selipsky 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. Nvidia is a strategic partner to Helix, while Vistra is its preferred power partner. Helix focuses on investing in, delivering and managing AI-enabling infrastructure, including hyperscale data centers, power generation and transmission, and fiber and connectivity assets.

Helix plans to address power availability, a key bottleneck in AI infrastructure development, through its own investments and its partnership with Vistra. Alongside Nvidia's role in full-stack technology 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. Leveraging Nvidia's full-stack technology, Helix expects to use Samsung's technology and energy storage capabilities.

Who backs Helix already

Tech giants including Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and Alphabet have spent hundreds of billions of dollars on the AI buildout. 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.

Businesses face shortages and bottlenecks involving energy, fiber-optic cabling, cooling capacity and land for data centers, and the pace of spending shows little sign of slowing. As the AI industry expands rapidly, the importance of infrastructure needed to support large-scale computing, including data centers, power supplies and cooling systems, has also grown. Helix builds integrated solutions for hyperscale data centers, tackling two bottlenecks: power and capacity.

Why power is the bottleneck

South Korean companies have committed massive funds to capitalise on the AI boom. 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. In April, KKR, which has about $758 billion in assets under management, agreed to invest $820 million in Samsung SDS to fund AI infrastructure, platforms and services.channelnewsasia.com

KKR has invested approximately $9 billion across its Korean strategies since 2009 and over $75 billion globally in digital and power infrastructure. 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. In September, KKR teamed up with Singapore telecom operator Singtel to acquire ST Telemedia Global Data Centres in a deal valuing the company at $10.9 billion.

South Korea's wider AI spending

Waldemar Szlezak, chief investment officer at Helix and global head of digital infrastructure at KKR, said South Korea and Japan are large and important markets for hyperscalers, and that Helix sees numerous opportunities in AI infrastructure while looking to provide long-dated, patient capital and maintain a disciplined approach to investments. Samsung said it plans to seek synergies by linking its affiliates' technologies with Helix's infrastructure business.