The investor group behind the project, Stock Farm Road, has partnered with Stanford University-backed AI developer Voltai to make AI the architect, manager and operator of the South Korea-based data centre. That would mark the first time that AI is integrated into a data centre’s entire system, the companies said.

Two Stanford alumni set up Voltai. Investors include Stanford University and several big tech names, such as Alphabet chairman John Hennessy, who serve as backers and advisers.

The partnership, called Project Concord, gives AI full control over design, construction and management, including how power and water are used. Humans will lurk in the background as supervisors while AI makes the decisions, the pair said.

If it all goes according to plan, the data centre will cost up to $35 billion and deliver three gigawatts of power. That’s a monster figure in an industry where few single sites ever top one gigawatt. The project, announced earlier this year, is due for completion in 2028.

The scheme comes as South Korea’s government throws money at computing infrastructure. President Lee Jae Myung told lawmakers last week that next year’s budget would triple AI-related spending.