SK Group has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world’s leading cloud provider, to build a large-scale, AI-dedicated data center in Ulsan. On June 20th，the launch ceremony for the “Ulsan AI Data Center” – an integral part of Korea’s AI Superhighway initiative – was held at the Ulsan Exhibition and Convention Center (UECO). Through this partnership, SK Group, AWS, and the Ulsan Metropolitan Government plan to build a hyperscale AI data center in Ulsan. The data center is expected to serve as a key hub in responding to the growing demand for AI infrastructure.
SKT plans to leverage this AI data center to proactively address the needs of the generative AI era and accelerate its AI B2B business. SKT also announced its plans to expand in phases with the ultimate goal of evolving into an AI hub in the Asia-Pacific region. This article highlights the launch ceremony and explores the significance of this landmark collaboration between SK Group, AWS, and the city of Ulsan.
A Future Core Hub for AI Infrastructure: Official Launch of the SK-AWS Ulsan AI Data Center
In attendance at the “Ulsan AI Data Center” launch ceremony were key business stakeholders including Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group; Ryu Young-sang, CEO of SK Telecom; and Prasad Kalyanaraman, Vice President of Infrastructure Services at AWS; as well as key figures from the government, industry, and academia.
In his welcome speech, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won stated, “The Ulsan AI Data Center represents the core infrastructure and starting point of Korea’s AI strategy,” and added, “By combining our capabilities with global collaboration, we aim to help Korea move beyond being a consumer of AI to becoming an exporter of AI technology.” He further emphasized, “While Ulsan has historically been a hub for manufacturing, it will now become a powerful new engine for the AI Superhighway.”
Prasad Kalyanaraman, Vice President of Infrastructure Services at AWS, said, “The Ulsan AI Data Center will bring together AWS infrastructure and servers with world-class semiconductors for faster AI training and inference.” He added, “We are honored to contribute to Korea’s emergence as a global AI leader through this collaboration.” He also highlighted Ulsan’s advantages, noting, “Ulsan offers an ideal location with its reliable and sustainable power supply and a strong industrial foundation,” Kalyanaraman concluded, “AWS will continue to work alongside SK Group to strengthen Korea’s AI leadership for years to come.”
Following his remarks, Park Jin-hyo, CEO of SK Broadband and Prasad Kalyanaraman held a signing ceremony to officially demonstrate the two companies’ commitment to cooperation. The event continued with a button ceremony, where officials from the government and industry pressed ceremonial buttons to symbolically mark the official launch of the Ulsan AI Data Center and Korea’s first step toward becoming one of the top-three global AI powerhouses. The ceremony concluded with enthusiastic applause, as attendees shared their vision for the future of AI infrastructure.
SK Telecom’s AI data center booth at MWC25
SK Telecom’s AI data center booth at MWC25
SKT’s AI data center booth at WIS 2025
Inside the venue, an exhibition booth modeled after the AI data center was set up, showcasing SK Group’s AI technologies – including AIDC SecureEdge, AIDC Infra Manager, Petasus Cloud, AI Cloud Manager, and AI Accelerator. The exhibition was structured to provide an overview of the group’s AI capabilities and data center operation technologies.
In addition, AI startups such as Rebellions, Studio Lab, and TwelveLabs also operated booths to showcase their core technologies and services. Each booth featured demo videos and live demonstrations, allowing attendees to experience and better understand the latest AI innovations.
A Hyperscale AI Data Center Serving as a Pillar of the AI Superhighway
AI data centers stand out from traditional data centers in several key ways. Unlike general-purpose data centers, which are designed for a wide range of computing environments, AI data centers are specifically built for high-performance AI workloads. This requires GPU-centric hardware, advanced cooling solutions such as liquid or immersion cooling, and significantly higher power capacity. While general data centers primarily use air cooling, AI data centers rely on liquid or immersion cooling to manage the intense heat generated by GPU and AI accelerator-based servers – requiring cooling capacities of up to 40–100kW per rack.
In December 2024, SKT launched GPUaaS (GPU-as-a-Service) with the opening of its Gasan AI Data Center. Together with Edge AI – where SKT is leading the development of technical standards – and GPUaaS, the new hyperscale AI data center serves as one of the three main pillars of SKT’s AI infrastructure Superhighway strategy.
The Ulsan AI Data Center is a hyperscale facility, ranking among the largest scale in Korea. It is set to serve as a foundational infrastructure for Korea’s competitiveness as an AI hub in the Asia-Pacific region.
The joint investment by SK Group and AWS is anticipated to generate jobs and deliver significant economic benefits. As an AI-dedicated data center, it is expected to drive the development of local AI technology and revitalize the regional economy.
In the future, the Ulsan AI Data Center aims to expand further to become the key AI data center hub in the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, the center is set to transition into an eco-friendly facility by actively adopting renewable energy sources such as floating offshore wind power. Through these initiatives, SKT plans to establish Ulsan as a hub of AI innovation, accelerate the development of AI data infrastructure, and strengthen Korea’s global AI competitiveness.
