SK Telecom Co. CEO Jung Jai-hun delivers the keynote speech at the annual SK AI Summit 2025 in southern Seoul on Nov. 3, 2025, in this photo provided by the company. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — SK Telecom said Monday it will spearhead efforts to establish South Korea as a regional hub for artificial intelligence by expanding data infrastructure and drawing global investment.
Speaking at the SK AI Summit 2025 in Seoul, Jung Jai-hun, the company’s newly appointed chief executive, outlined a sweeping strategy centered on large-scale data centers and global partnerships.
“SK Telecom has built a solid foundation through AI data centers and a GPU cloud,” Jung said in his keynote address. “We now plan to move into full-scale expansion of our AI infrastructure.”
The company is constructing a new AI data center in Ulsan in partnership with Amazon Web Services, with plans to expand its capacity to 1 gigawatt and install some 60,000 graphics processing units. In October, SK Group also signed a memorandum of understanding with OpenAI to develop another large-scale data center in the country’s southwest.
Jung said the Ulsan facility would serve as a cornerstone for SK Telecom’s overseas expansion into markets such as Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore. The company plans to deploy “energy-specialized” data centers abroad through collaboration with other SK Group affiliates, including SK Innovation, which is helping design an AI data center in Vietnam powered by a liquefied natural gas plant that uses cold energy for cooling.
“Since unveiling the Ulsan data center, global enterprises have begun to recognize SK Telecom’s capability in AI infrastructure development,” Jung said. “We are laying the groundwork for South Korea to become Asia’s AI infrastructure hub.”
Jung took office last month after a reshuffle within SK Group, as the telecom giant looks to recover from a third-quarter net loss tied to a major data breach reported in April.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
