Kakao Corp., the company behind South Korea’s dominant messaging app KakaoTalk, unveiled its first independent data center in a move aimed at regaining public trust after a crippling service outage in October 2022.
The facility, located in Ansan, south of Seoul, marks a significant shift for Kakao. Previously, the company relied on leased data centers, leaving it vulnerable to external disruptions like the fire that caused a five-day service blackout in October 2022.
Underscoring the importance of data centers, Kakao CEO Chung Shin-a emphasized their user-centric approach. She explained that the new facility is a testament to their commitment to providing Koreans with the most reliable and secure services possible.
The 47,000-square-meter center has a capacity of 4,000 server racks, translating to 120,000 individual servers. With the ability to store a massive six exabytes of data, the Ansan data center is built to handle KakaoTalk’s immense user base – a 48.7 million active users monthly who send over 10 billion messages daily.
Public outcry following the 2022 outage exposed vulnerabilities in Kakao’s previous data infrastructure. To address these concerns, the new data center prioritizes redundancy. Critical systems like power supply, communication networks, and cooling mechanisms feature built-in backups, ensuring uninterrupted service even in the face of malfunctions or natural disasters.
This move signifies Kakao’s determination to learn from past mistakes and prioritize service stability. The Ansan data center represents a significant step towards ensuring Koreans can rely on Kakao’s services without fear of disruption.
