Global investment firm KKR said it will invest about $820 million in Samsung SDS, a member of Samsung Group, through convertible bonds as part of a strategic partnership.
The partnership is aimed at accelerating Samsung SDS’s artificial intelligence and digital transformation push, the firms said Wednesday.
Funds managed by KKR have agreed to acquire 1.22 trillion won ($820 million) of newly issued convertible bonds in Samsung SDS, marking the private equity firm’s latest bet on Asia’s growing demand for enterprise IT and AI solutions.
According to the announcement, the partnership will see KKR take an active advisory role, working with Samsung SDS on mergers and acquisitions, capital allocation, and global expansion strategies.
The companies said they will also collaborate on initiatives to drive both organic and inorganic growth while strengthening Samsung SDS’s position as a full-stack AI solutions provider.
“Against a backdrop of increasing demand for digital transformation and AI solutions, we have strong conviction in Samsung SDS’ market leadership and growth potential by playing a critical role in advancing Korea’s digital capabilities and infrastructure,” said Chung Ho Park, partner and head of Korea at KKR.
KKR said the investment will be made primarily from its Asia Fund IV and adds to its existing exposure to the global IT services sector.
The US private equity firm said its previous investments in the sector include Japan’s FUJI SOFT, Germany’s DATAGROUP, Ness Digital Engineering, Devoteam in France, and Ensono in the US.
In Korea, KKR cited recent investments, including Samhwa, MUSINSA, HD Hyundai Marine Solution, and SK Eternix.
Samsung SDS plans to use the proceeds, alongside existing resources, to expand infrastructure and capabilities in key growth areas, including end-to-end AI transformation services.
Founded in 1985, Samsung SDS has around 26,000 employees and annual revenue of 14 trillion won, according to the statement. The company operates in more than 40 countries and serves industries including financial services, manufacturing, logistics, and retail.
“Through this strategic collaboration, we will actively explore a wide range of growth opportunities, including M&A, by leveraging KKR’s expertise accumulated in global capital markets,” said Jun Hee Lee, president and CEO of Samsung SDS.
KKR’s investment comes as the firm secured an additional $548 million for its third pan-Asia infrastructure fund in the fourth quarter of last year, highlighting robust investor demand for the asset class, which drove its rapid fundraising pace in Oct-December 2025.
Asia Pacific Infrastructure Investors III, which is reportedly targeting a corpus of over $9 billion, has now secured $3.5 billion in total commitments after the US-based megafund disclosed the fund’s capital-raising progress for the first time in the previous quarter.
