Woori Financial Group's headquarters in Seoul / Courtesy of Woori Financial Group

Woori Financial Group, together with its strategic partner Natixis, a French investment bank, invested $150 million in two data centers located in the United States.

This marks their first achievement since both parties forged a strategic business partnership in June, the group said Tuesday.

Investments were made in a data center in Arizona (scale of 176 megawatts) and another in Virginia (110 megawatts). Both facilities are hyperscale data centers with 15-year rental contracts secured with Amazon.

The North American data center market is recognized for its high growth potential, driven by the development of cloud computing and the acceleration of the digital transition. Specifically, Arizona and Virginia serve as major data hubs for the western and eastern U.S., respectively.

Both regions attract significant investor attention due to stable demand. Virginia is the most active location for data center establishment and operation in the U.S., with a vacancy rate of only 1 percent. Phoenix, Arizona, ranks sixth in the U.S. data center market in terms of scale and shows high growth potential, with a vacancy rate of 3 percent.

Woori explained that investing in U.S. data centers aligns with the "America First" policies anticipated under the upcoming Donald Trump administration. Policies such as tariffs and strengthened trade barriers encourage foreign corporations to invest directly in the U.S. and adopt localized business models.

The group said Woori PE Asset Management's experience in managing global funds, combined with Woori Bank's expertise in the global investment bank sector, strengthened collaboration on the investment. Natixis contributed by designing the investment structure and supporting its implementation through its global financial network and expertise in private equity loans.

The Woori-Natixis global private equity fund, created last year, plans to gradually expand its investments from $250 million to $1.5 billion over the next three years.

"Based on Woori PE Asset Management's global investment experience and expertise, we will strengthen our global private equity capabilities, and create synergies among the Woori Financial Group subsidiaries," Woori PE Asset Management CEO Kang Shin-kook said.