Scott Lettie, Senior Vice President, Interview with SKT Newsroom
"Crucial Role in GPU Infrastructure and Service Provision"
Scott Lettie, Senior Vice President at Morningstar DBRS, Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Photo by SKT
Scott Lettie, Senior Vice President at Morningstar DBRS, a global credit rating agency and research institution, expressed high expectations for the SK Telecom consortium's ability to successfully lead Korea’s independent AI foundation model project. On December 23, SK Telecom announced that Lettie made these remarks in an interview with the SKT Newsroom.
In a report released at the end of November, Morningstar DBRS defined sovereign AI as an area that requires execution as national infrastructure, going beyond mere technological development. The report identified telecommunications companies as realistic entities capable of meeting these requirements.
Lettie evaluated the Korean government's selection of the SKT consortium as one of the elite teams for the independent AI foundation model project as a "proactive and strategic decision." He analyzed that SKT’s experience operating data centers (AI DC), its capabilities in running AI services, and its long-standing, stable management of large-scale and complex networks are key competitive strengths for the project’s success.
In particular, regarding the SKT consortium’s role in supporting graphics processing units (GPUs), Lettie pointed out, "This demonstrates that SKT is playing a crucial role in providing GPU infrastructure and related services."
Amid the global AI competition led by major tech companies, Morningstar DBRS highlighted the SKT consortium’s "ability to develop AI models optimized for the Korean language and culture" as a differentiating factor. Korea is analyzed to have one of the world’s best 5G and optical communication infrastructures, creating a favorable environment for the expansion of data-intensive AI services.
Lettie stated, "Telecommunications companies have long operated and managed large-scale communication networks that are essential to the nation and society," adding, "With their ability to integrate networks, data centers, and power collaboration structures, they are uniquely positioned to actually build and integrate sovereign AI infrastructure."
He further emphasized, "Telecommunications companies have experience operating infrastructure in accordance with each country’s laws, regulations, and cultural norms, as well as a history of cooperation with governments. This makes them trustworthy partners in the highly sensitive field of sovereign AI."
Lettie predicted, "Sovereign AI will broadly transform business operations, economic growth structures, and people’s daily lives," and said, "It has great potential to become the defining technology of the next decade." He advised that companies and institutions within the AI ecosystem should prioritize agile strategies that allow for flexible responses to new opportunities, alongside large-scale, long-term investments. He added that, given the capital-intensive nature of the industry, setting priorities is crucial.
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