SK Group has agreed to large-scale cooperation spanning the entire infrastructure spectrum, including artificial intelligence (AI) chips and AI data centers, with global big tech companies such as Nvidia, Microsoft (MS), Anthropic, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Silicon Valley. Based on this, SK aims to strengthen the execution of its “three mega projects,” centered on building a domestic semiconductor belt and nationwide AI data centers, and to lead the expansion of the global AI ecosystem.
SK signed a comprehensive letter of intent (LOI) with Nvidia for the construction of AI infrastructure worth more than a combined $500 billion at the “K-AI Summit” held at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco on the 24th. First, SK Telecom (017670) will introduce Nvidia’s next-generation graphics processing units (GPUs) and pursue investment cooperation to build a 2GW (gigawatt) AI factory, the largest in Korea. Based on Nvidia’s “DSX” platform, SK plans to adopt the next-generation AI computing system “Vera Rubin,” which will be equipped with SK hynix’s (000660) HBM4, and build AI factories in phases starting in 2027. Through this, SK aims to accelerate the development of large-scale AI infrastructure encompassing sovereign, physical, and agentic AI as well as enterprise AI services, and to jointly respond to growing AI demand in Korea and the Asia-Pacific region. SK hynix will also continue long-term cooperation with Nvidia, including the stable supply and joint development of AI memory such as next-generation HBM.
Nvidia founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang said, “Korea has all the conditions to leap into a global AI powerhouse, including world-class networks and data centers, semiconductor technology leadership, and a vast industrial base,” adding, “Nvidia, together with SK Telecom and SK hynix, will create a new generation of AI factories to lead Korea’s next growth.” SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won also said, “Competitiveness in the AI era depends not only on how well AI is utilized but on how much intelligence is created,” and stated, “Based on SK Telecom’s AI infrastructure capabilities and SK hynix’s AI memory, SK will build world-class AI factories together with Nvidia and contribute to Korea’s leap into a global hub that creates AI innovation, beyond being a country that consumes AI.”
SK hynix also agreed with MS on a long-term memory supply plan. In response to surging demand for AI services, the two companies agreed to cooperate on SK hynix supplying server memory optimized for AI workloads to MS data centers over the mid- to long-term. They also plan to jointly identify memory solutions tailored to such needs and establish new standards for AI server memory through verification in actual server environments.
SK Telecom signed a comprehensive memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Anthropic to cooperate on building a gigawatt-class AI data center in Korea, and also agreed with AWS to combine their capabilities in building and operating domestic AI data centers and expand the business into a key hub.
Meanwhile, in a speech at the K-AI Summit attended by President Lee Jae-myung and representatives of global big tech firms, Chairman Chey described the government’s recently announced “three mega projects” — a national strategic industry and infrastructure initiative centered on advanced technology — as “a realistic plan based on actual demand in the global AI market.” He then presented three tasks for the project’s success: realizing an “AI native nation” in which each citizen uses at least one AI agent and Korea becomes a global AI testbed; reducing token costs through memory production and the expansion of AI data centers; and minimizing AI’s side effects through establishing AI governance, creating jobs, and preserving the environment. Chey said, “The three mega projects are an AI project for Korea’s growth and a project for all of us,” adding, “We must pool our capabilities in as short a time as possible and make it a success without fail.”