"KT Must Become a Platform Where AI Services Operate Smoothly"
Emphasizing the Importance of Efficient Allocation of KT Infrastructure
Yoonyoung Park, former head of the Enterprise Division and former President of KT, who has emerged as the new leader to steer KT, has identified strengthening security capabilities as the top priority and emphasized the importance of KT’s role as an artificial intelligence (AI) platform.
In particular, as part of the government’s initiative to build the “AI Expressway,” Park plans to focus on the efficient allocation of resources such as advanced graphics processing units (GPUs) and telecommunications infrastructure.
Park, who was recently selected as the final candidate for the next CEO of KT, told The Asia Business Daily in a recent phone interview, “Security issues are the most urgent right now. The overall security system for the telecommunications network needs to be reestablished,” adding, “Since many public services and client businesses are operated on KT’s telecommunications infrastructure, safety must come first.”
This year, KT has faced significant challenges due to incidents such as unauthorized small payments using illegal micro base stations (femtocells) and server hacking. Park stressed, “KT is a company built with taxpayers’ money, and as a national key telecommunications operator, it has responsibilities and roles to fulfill,” emphasizing the need to clarify its mission and identity accordingly.
He also stated that KT should serve as a robust, comprehensive platform so that the AI industry can become a new growth engine. Park said, “While it is important for KT to provide a wide range of services based on its experience with telecommunications infrastructure and cloud, above all, it must serve as a solid platform that enables various AI services to operate smoothly.”
He mentioned the “AI Enable” function, which supports the application of AI technologies to industries and daily life and creates an environment where anyone can use AI.
Additionally, he expressed his intention to explore the roles KT can play in the government-led AI Expressway project. The government plans to establish the AI Expressway by 2030, aiming to become one of the world’s top three AI powerhouses, similar to how the Gyeongbu Expressway drove industrialization in the 1970s. To this end, securing 50,000 GPUs by 2028, expanding AI data centers, regulatory innovation, and nurturing talent are the core strategic projects.
Park indirectly expressed his intention to actively utilize KT’s resources to contribute to the national AI Expressway project.
He said, “AI data centers will be established in various locations, and for them to be well-connected, GPUs, electricity, and telecommunications infrastructure must be efficiently distributed,” adding, “This aligns with the vision of the ‘AI Expressway,’ where everyone in the country can access AI equally.”
He cited KT’s optical fiber network, ultra-high-speed AI-dedicated networks required for “Data Center Interconnect (DCI)”-which enables seamless connections between data centers-and cooling and power infrastructure technologies as major resources.
In this regard, since September, KT has launched a service that allows customers to use NVIDIA’s GPU H100 on a monthly subscription basis. This reduces the initial infrastructure setup costs and maintenance burden, thereby improving the speed and competitiveness of AI development.
Recently, KT Cloud opened the “AI Innovation Center,” implementing next-generation AI data center technologies, including NVIDIA B200 GPUs, AI server racks, liquid cooling devices, and AI networks. The plan is to demonstrate advanced technologies here to lead innovation in data center technology by completing a highly efficient AI infrastructure.
Finally, Park said, “Technology is important, but above all, people matter most. Employees need to create synergy as they work together,” expressing his aspiration to reshape the organization’s atmosphere and culture.
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