GPU brokerage connects operators that own GPUs with AI companies looking to rent them. Suppliers reduce idle equipment, while users secure computing resources without buying expensive GPUs outright. According to U.S. market research firm Grand View Research, the global GPU-as-a-service (GPUaaS) market is projected to grow from about $5.1 billion (roughly 6.8 trillion won) this year to about $14.5 billion (roughly 19.3 trillion won) in 2033, an average annual growth rate of about 16%. The figure covers the entire GPU rental and service market, however, not brokerage fees alone.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft are already in the GPU rental market. U.S. players Vast AI and Shadeform compare and broker GPUs from multiple operators, and Nvidia last year unveiled "DGX Cloud Lepton," which connects cloud providers with AI developers.
As a latecomer, PADO's weapon is the LG Group's data center capabilities. In a job posting for brokerage specialists, PADO cited LG's cooling and power technologies and global business network as competitive advantages in securing GPU suppliers. The plan is to generate revenue by brokering not only short-term rentals but also long-term supply contracts of one to five years. Another strength is its ability to optimize data center operations for power and cooling conditions using its own AI technology. In April, LG Electronics showcased PADO's AI operating platform alongside its own cooling solutions in the U.S.
LG Electronics is also rapidly expanding its AI data center business. On the 6th of this month, it signed a long-term contract with U.S.-based Air Control Concepts to supply cooling solutions for data centers totaling 5 gigawatts (GW). Related orders exceeded 600 billion won in the first half of this year. The company is investing 150 billion won to expand capacity, including a new chiller plant in Virginia, and is jointly developing immersion cooling technology with GS E&C and U.S.-based GRC.
LG Energy Solution last month obtained Nvidia "DSX Ready" certification for its energy storage systems (ESS) for data centers. LG Electronics' 2.6-megawatt (MW) coolant distribution unit (CDU) received the same certification. LG CNS unveiled a modular data center combining GPUs, servers and power and cooling equipment, and added GPU rental services to its business portfolio.
PADO's brokerage business could serve as a customer acquisition channel that ties these affiliate capabilities together. Securing contact with companies that need GPUs would create more opportunities to pitch LG Electronics' cooling equipment, LG Energy Solution's ESS and LG CNS' data center construction and operation services as a package. Results will hinge on whether the group can secure a stable supply of GPUs and win joint orders for actual projects.
"LG's entry into the GPU trading market means more than just earning brokerage fees," an industry official said. "Because it can offer cooling, power and data center construction together to customers that need GPUs — the core of the AI era — it will be able to differentiate itself from existing brokers."
