SK Telecom Plans to Build 15GW AI Data Center
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 2 days ago
0mins
SK Telecom announced that it will pursue the construction of an AI data center with a scale of up to 15GW. The goal is to become an AI infrastructure hub in Asia. "The move is intended to preemptively build domestic AI computing infrastructure at a time when demand for AI model training and inference is surging and high-performance computing infrastructure determines national competitiveness," the company said.
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About SKM
SK Telecom Co Ltd is a Korea-based company primarily engaged in the provision of wireless communication services. The Company operates the business through three segments. The Wireless Communication Business segment provides mobile phones, wireless data, information communication business. The Wireline Communication Business segment offers telephones, high speed Internet, data and network rental services. The Other segment is involved in the product sales type data broadcasting channel use business and others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
SK Telecom Plans 15GW AI Data Center to Boost Korea's AI Infrastructure
- AI Infrastructure Development: SK Telecom plans to construct a 15GW AI data center in Korea, aiming to establish the country as a leading AI infrastructure hub in Asia to meet the surging global demand for AI model training and inference.
- Government Strategy Alignment: The initiative is closely tied to the South Korean government's 'AI G3' strategy, which seeks to position Korea alongside the U.S. and China as one of the world's top three AI powers, enhancing national competitiveness.
- Investment and Financing Plans: The estimated cost to build a 1GW-class AI data center is around KRW 70 trillion, with SK Telecom planning to finance the project through its own investments, strategic partners, long-term customer contracts, and project financing to ensure smooth execution.
- Support for Regional Development: SK Telecom intends to build a 2GW cluster in the southeastern Gyeongsang region and an additional 1GW in the southwestern Jeolla region, aiming to reach a total domestic capacity of 5GW by 2029, which will help attract global AI infrastructure demand while supporting balanced regional development.
See More
SK Telecom to Build 15GW AI Data Center
- AI Infrastructure Development: SK Telecom has announced plans to construct a 15GW AI data center to address the surging demand for AI model training and inference, aiming to position Korea as an AI infrastructure hub in Asia and enhance national competitiveness.
- Investment Scale and Financing: The estimated project cost for a typical 1GW-class AI data center is around KRW 70 trillion, with SK Telecom planning to finance the project through a mix of its own investments, strategic partner contributions, and long-term customer contracts.
- Regional Development Strategy: SK Telecom intends to build its first AI data center in Ulsan, with plans to expand domestic AI data center capacity to a total of 5GW over time, thereby attracting infrastructure demand from global tech companies to Korea.
- Core Capability Integration: SK Group will leverage its affiliates' strengths in semiconductors, energy solutions, and data center construction and operation, with SK Telecom taking the lead in the design, construction, and operation of the AI data centers to promote balanced development in Korea's AI industry.
See More
SK Telecom to Build 15GW AI Data Center Infrastructure
- AI Infrastructure Expansion: SK Telecom announced plans to construct a 15GW AI data center by 2029 in phases, starting with 5GW, to meet the surging demand for AI computing, thereby enhancing Korea's competitiveness in the global AI infrastructure landscape.
- Massive Investment: The estimated cost to build a typical 1GW AI data center is around KRW 70 trillion, with SK Telecom planning to finance the project through a mix of its own investments, strategic partner contributions, and long-term customer contracts, ensuring sufficient funding for successful execution.
- Regional Development Strategy: This initiative is viewed as Korea's third national infrastructure revolution, with SK Telecom aiming to leverage AI data centers to promote balanced regional development and attract investments from global tech giants, thus driving local economic growth.
- Full-Stack Capability Integration: SK Group will consolidate its core competencies in semiconductors, energy solutions, and data center construction across its affiliates, with SK Telecom leading the design, construction, and operation of the AI data centers, further solidifying its leadership position in the AI infrastructure sector.
See More
SK Telecom Partners with Nvidia to Build AI Cloud in South Korea
- AI Cloud Initiative: SK Telecom plans to launch its first gigawatt-scale AI Cloud factory by 2027 using Nvidia's DSX platform, aiming to provide efficient AI services across various industries in Korea and enhance national AI infrastructure.
- Architectural Advantage: The AI Cloud will leverage Nvidia's DSX full-stack reference architecture, ensuring the production of intelligence building blocks at the lowest cost and maximum energy efficiency, thereby improving the economic viability and sustainability of AI applications.
- Regional Expansion Vision: SK Telecom's AI Cloud aims not only to serve the Korean market but also to expand into broader Asian regions, indicating both companies' strategic focus on future market potential and growth opportunities.
- Deepening Collaboration: The partnership between Nvidia and SK Telecom will extend from AI infrastructure to joint research on next-generation AI factory architectures, reflecting a shared vision for technological innovation and market expansion.
See More
SK Telecom and NVIDIA Collaborate on AI Cloud Development
- AI Cloud Initiative: SK Telecom plans to launch its first AI factory in 2027, utilizing the NVIDIA DSX platform to build a gigawatt-scale AI Cloud aimed at providing robust AI infrastructure for various industries in Korea, enhancing overall business efficiency.
- Integrated Technology Architecture: The AI Cloud will be built on NVIDIA DSX's full-stack reference architecture, encompassing software, hardware, and operations, ensuring efficient handling of training, inference, and agentic workloads, thereby driving digital transformation for enterprises.
- Joint R&D Prospects: SK Telecom and NVIDIA will collaborate on developing next-generation AI factory architecture, focusing on silicon-to-grid innovations in accelerated computing, memory technologies, and data center operations, further deepening their strategic partnership.
- Enhanced Industry Impact: By establishing the AI Cloud, SK Telecom aims to not only strengthen its competitive edge in the AI sector but also inject new vitality into Korea's tech ecosystem, fostering innovation and development across related industries.
See More
SK Telecom Partners with NVIDIA to Build AI Cloud Infrastructure
- AI Cloud Initiative: SK Telecom plans to establish a gigawatt-scale AI Cloud by 2027 using the NVIDIA DSX platform, aimed at providing efficient AI services for enterprises in Korea and advancing the local AI industry.
- Infrastructure Advantage: The new AI Cloud will leverage SK Telecom's network and data center infrastructure, combined with NVIDIA's accelerated computing technology, ensuring the production of AI intelligence components at the lowest cost and highest energy efficiency, enhancing market competitiveness.
- Expanded Collaborative Research: NVIDIA and SK Group will pursue joint research on next-generation AI factory architectures, focusing on innovations in accelerated computing and memory technologies to drive more efficient and scalable AI services, further solidifying their leadership in the AI sector.
- Market Demand Response: As demand for AI computing rapidly increases, SK Telecom's new AI Cloud will cater to enterprises' needs for physical and agentic AI services, marking Korea's significant role in the global AI industry.
See More
SK Telecom Plans 15GW AI Data Center to Boost Korea's AI Infrastructure
- AI Infrastructure Development: SK Telecom plans to construct a 15GW AI data center in Korea, aiming to establish the country as a leading AI infrastructure hub in Asia to meet the surging global demand for AI model training and inference.
- Government Strategy Alignment: The initiative is closely tied to the South Korean government's 'AI G3' strategy, which seeks to position Korea alongside the U.S. and China as one of the world's top three AI powers, enhancing national competitiveness.
- Investment and Financing Plans: The estimated cost to build a 1GW-class AI data center is around KRW 70 trillion, with SK Telecom planning to finance the project through its own investments, strategic partners, long-term customer contracts, and project financing to ensure smooth execution.
- Support for Regional Development: SK Telecom intends to build a 2GW cluster in the southeastern Gyeongsang region and an additional 1GW in the southwestern Jeolla region, aiming to reach a total domestic capacity of 5GW by 2029, which will help attract global AI infrastructure demand while supporting balanced regional development.
See More
SK Telecom to Build 15GW AI Data Center
- AI Infrastructure Development: SK Telecom has announced plans to construct a 15GW AI data center to address the surging demand for AI model training and inference, aiming to position Korea as an AI infrastructure hub in Asia and enhance national competitiveness.
- Investment Scale and Financing: The estimated project cost for a typical 1GW-class AI data center is around KRW 70 trillion, with SK Telecom planning to finance the project through a mix of its own investments, strategic partner contributions, and long-term customer contracts.
- Regional Development Strategy: SK Telecom intends to build its first AI data center in Ulsan, with plans to expand domestic AI data center capacity to a total of 5GW over time, thereby attracting infrastructure demand from global tech companies to Korea.
- Core Capability Integration: SK Group will leverage its affiliates' strengths in semiconductors, energy solutions, and data center construction and operation, with SK Telecom taking the lead in the design, construction, and operation of the AI data centers to promote balanced development in Korea's AI industry.
See More
SK Telecom to Build 15GW AI Data Center Infrastructure
- AI Infrastructure Expansion: SK Telecom announced plans to construct a 15GW AI data center by 2029 in phases, starting with 5GW, to meet the surging demand for AI computing, thereby enhancing Korea's competitiveness in the global AI infrastructure landscape.
- Massive Investment: The estimated cost to build a typical 1GW AI data center is around KRW 70 trillion, with SK Telecom planning to finance the project through a mix of its own investments, strategic partner contributions, and long-term customer contracts, ensuring sufficient funding for successful execution.
- Regional Development Strategy: This initiative is viewed as Korea's third national infrastructure revolution, with SK Telecom aiming to leverage AI data centers to promote balanced regional development and attract investments from global tech giants, thus driving local economic growth.
- Full-Stack Capability Integration: SK Group will consolidate its core competencies in semiconductors, energy solutions, and data center construction across its affiliates, with SK Telecom leading the design, construction, and operation of the AI data centers, further solidifying its leadership position in the AI infrastructure sector.
See More
SK Telecom Partners with Nvidia to Build AI Cloud in South Korea
- AI Cloud Initiative: SK Telecom plans to launch its first gigawatt-scale AI Cloud factory by 2027 using Nvidia's DSX platform, aiming to provide efficient AI services across various industries in Korea and enhance national AI infrastructure.
- Architectural Advantage: The AI Cloud will leverage Nvidia's DSX full-stack reference architecture, ensuring the production of intelligence building blocks at the lowest cost and maximum energy efficiency, thereby improving the economic viability and sustainability of AI applications.
- Regional Expansion Vision: SK Telecom's AI Cloud aims not only to serve the Korean market but also to expand into broader Asian regions, indicating both companies' strategic focus on future market potential and growth opportunities.
- Deepening Collaboration: The partnership between Nvidia and SK Telecom will extend from AI infrastructure to joint research on next-generation AI factory architectures, reflecting a shared vision for technological innovation and market expansion.
See More
SK Telecom and NVIDIA Collaborate on AI Cloud Development
- AI Cloud Initiative: SK Telecom plans to launch its first AI factory in 2027, utilizing the NVIDIA DSX platform to build a gigawatt-scale AI Cloud aimed at providing robust AI infrastructure for various industries in Korea, enhancing overall business efficiency.
- Integrated Technology Architecture: The AI Cloud will be built on NVIDIA DSX's full-stack reference architecture, encompassing software, hardware, and operations, ensuring efficient handling of training, inference, and agentic workloads, thereby driving digital transformation for enterprises.
- Joint R&D Prospects: SK Telecom and NVIDIA will collaborate on developing next-generation AI factory architecture, focusing on silicon-to-grid innovations in accelerated computing, memory technologies, and data center operations, further deepening their strategic partnership.
- Enhanced Industry Impact: By establishing the AI Cloud, SK Telecom aims to not only strengthen its competitive edge in the AI sector but also inject new vitality into Korea's tech ecosystem, fostering innovation and development across related industries.
See More
SK Telecom Partners with NVIDIA to Build AI Cloud Infrastructure
- AI Cloud Initiative: SK Telecom plans to establish a gigawatt-scale AI Cloud by 2027 using the NVIDIA DSX platform, aimed at providing efficient AI services for enterprises in Korea and advancing the local AI industry.
- Infrastructure Advantage: The new AI Cloud will leverage SK Telecom's network and data center infrastructure, combined with NVIDIA's accelerated computing technology, ensuring the production of AI intelligence components at the lowest cost and highest energy efficiency, enhancing market competitiveness.
- Expanded Collaborative Research: NVIDIA and SK Group will pursue joint research on next-generation AI factory architectures, focusing on innovations in accelerated computing and memory technologies to drive more efficient and scalable AI services, further solidifying their leadership in the AI sector.
- Market Demand Response: As demand for AI computing rapidly increases, SK Telecom's new AI Cloud will cater to enterprises' needs for physical and agentic AI services, marking Korea's significant role in the global AI industry.
See More
