Jaeheon Jung, New SKT CEO at AI Summit, Delivers First Message: "AI Infrastructure"

Revealing AI Infrastructure Roadmap at First Official Appearance
AI DC Construction in the Southwestern Region Following the Seoul Metropolitan Area and Ulsan
Entering Vietnam's AI DC Market with SK Innovation... Expanding into Southeast Asia
Introducing Over 2,000 NVIDIA GPUs... Utilizing for Manufacturing AI Cloud

"SK Telecom has laid the foundation for AI infrastructure by constructing AI data centers and building a GPU cloud. Moving forward, we will leverage these capabilities to drive a full-scale expansion of our AI infrastructure."

Jaeheon Jung, the new CEO and President of SK Telecom, put AI infrastructure at the forefront during an artificial intelligence (AI) forum attended by all affiliates of the group. He emphasized that SK Telecom will go beyond applying AI to telecommunications services and make AI infrastructure-including the construction of domestic and overseas AI data centers (AI DCs)-a new growth engine. Less than a week after taking office, CEO Jung made his first official appearance and announced his ambition to become a 'comprehensive AI DC operator.'

Jaeheon Jung, CEO of SK Telecom, is giving a presentation at the 'SK AI Summit 2025' held on the morning of the 3rd at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by SK Telecom

During his keynote speech at the 'SK AI Summit 2025' held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 3rd, CEO Jung stated, "As a leading national AI operator, we will drive the evolution of AI infrastructure."

In his keynote, CEO Jung introduced SK Telecom's achievements related to AI DCs and unveiled plans to enter the Southeast Asian market. He announced the 'AI Infrastructure Now & Next' strategy, which focuses on: ▲ reviewing large-scale expansion of the Ulsan AI DC ▲ global expansion of energy-specialized AI DC solutions ▲ evolving into a comprehensive AI DC operator ▲ building a manufacturing AI cloud ▲ and promoting 'edge AI' through cooperation with global big tech companies.

From Korea to Southeast Asia... All-out Effort to Expand AI Infrastructure

First, CEO Jung emphasized that SK Telecom will continue to expand domestic AI DC infrastructure. Following the Seoul metropolitan area and Gyeongnam, SK Telecom is working to establish a third AI DC hub in the southwestern region. CEO Jung said, "After the unveiling of the Ulsan AI DC, major global companies began to focus on SK Telecom's AI DC development capabilities," adding, "We will lay the groundwork for Korea to become the AI infrastructure hub of Asia."

SK Telecom plans to expand the Ulsan AI DC to a total capacity of over 1 gigawatt (GW) by increasing collaboration with global partners, including Amazon Web Services (AWS). Last month, the SK Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with OpenAI, forming a strategic partnership to promote the establishment of an AI DC in the southwestern region. SK Telecom will announce the specific location of the southwestern AI DC at a later date.

SK Telecom will also partner with affiliates such as SK Innovation to enter the Southeast Asian AI DC market. CEO Jung revealed, "We plan to accelerate our entry into the Southeast Asian market together with SK Group affiliates, leveraging our energy-specialized AI DC solutions." The Vietnam AI DC project, promoted together with SK Innovation, will secure power through a liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plant and utilize cold energy for data center cooling. SK Telecom plans to expand its AI DC business in Southeast Asia to countries such as Malaysia and Singapore in the future.

SK Telecom also aims to make solutions for building AI DCs a new growth engine. CEO Jung said, "We plan to expand our role in the AI DC business to become a comprehensive operator overseeing the entire AI DC project, including design, construction, and operation." SK Telecom is developing an AI DC solution package that integrates core technology areas of AI infrastructure, including solutions necessary for AI DC operation such as server connectivity, power, cooling, and security.

CEO Jung stressed, "AI infrastructure is a key driver of competitiveness for both companies and nations," adding, "As Korea's leading AI operator, SK Telecom will do its utmost together with the government to help Korea leap into the ranks of the AI G3."

Building a 'Manufacturing AI Cloud' with NVIDIA GPUs... Serving as the Core of SK Group's AX

Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit held on October 31 at Gyeongju Arts Center in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do. He met with Paik Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and presented the AI supercomputer 'DGX Spark' as a gift. 2025.10.31 Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

SK Telecom also announced plans to build a 'manufacturing AI cloud' by introducing more than 2,000 units of NVIDIA's 'RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition' GPUs. This will drive the AI transformation (AX) of major SK Group affiliates.

CEO Jung emphasized, "The manufacturing AI cloud will be used for the AI transformation of SK Group's major manufacturing companies, including SK Hynix. It will serve as core infrastructure to promote innovation based on manufacturing AI, such as digital twins and robotics AI at manufacturing sites." Digital twins refer to technology that replicates the real world in digital space for analysis and prediction.

He also announced plans to leverage SK Telecom's network infrastructure capabilities for AI DC operations. CEO Jung said, "As AI services increase, the network infrastructure that telecom operators have built up over decades is being re-evaluated. Utilizing the nationwide telecommunications infrastructure, 'edge AI,' which can bridge the gap between AI DCs and on-device AI, and 'AI-RAN,' an intelligent network technology powered by AI, are areas that only telecom operators can deliver."

Edge AI processes data at base stations and edge servers without sending it to the cloud, reducing latency, enhancing security, and improving network efficiency. To implement edge AI, SK Telecom has established a research and development (R&D) collaboration with AWS, combining SK Telecom's AI infrastructure technology with AWS's cloud and AI expertise.

Meanwhile, CEO Jung began his term as the new CEO of SK Telecom on November 1. Former CEO Yoo Youngsang stepped down after four years to become the head of the AI Committee at the SK SUPEX Council. In his speech, CEO Jung said, "Starting today, my work as CEO begins. My keynote speech marks my first official duty," adding, "It is an honor and a pleasure to greet you for the first time at such an important event discussing AI innovation."