In its latest report, Omdia, a leading global market research firm, highlighted SKT’s comprehensive approach towards building sovereign AI infrastructure, addressing critical challenges related to GPU utilization and path to monetization.
In the report published on the 18th, titled Sovereign AI Infrastructure: SK Telecom rethinks its cloud tech stack to address GPU monetization, Omdia said SKT’s approach “positions it strongly to deliver sovereign AI infrastructure while addressing the challenges of infrastructure optimization for AI,” issue telecom operators are facing worldwide.
Currently, as companies around the world are continuing to make massive investments in AI transformation, Omdia’s report is seen as especially significant in the industry because it identifies SKT as one of the leading operator driving the global shift in sovereign AI infrastructure.
“Haein” and “Petasus AI Cloud”: In-house solutions to longstanding AI infrastructure challenges
Omdia noted that SKT has independently addressed longstanding issues in AI infrastructure through its Haein Cluster and Petasus AI Cloud.
Haein is a high-performance GPU infrastructure built as a single cluster integrating more than 1,000 GPUs. Based on Haein, SKT is providing a stable computing environment optimized for large-scale AI model training and inference, helping customers flexibly use GPU resources whenever needed.
Haein incorporates SKT’s proprietary virtualization solution, Petasus AI Cloud. This enables Haein to instantly partition and reconfigure GPU clusters according to demand, maximizing utilization rates. Haein’s technological excellence was recognized with the GLOMO Award for Best Cloud Solution at MWC26.
<Petasus AI Cloud featured in Omdia report>
Omdia also highlighted SKT using its proprietary virtualization technology to overcome major concerns for many AI companies – both the challenge of improving GPU resource utilization and the security issues associated with multi-tenancy environments, where multiple users share a single system or software platform. This signifies that SKT has gone beyond simple GPU leasing and is building a structure that delivers both security and efficiency at the same time, securing competitiveness in AI infrastructure.
Building a successful monetization structure through AI competitiveness
Omdia emphasized SKT’s tangible monetization structure, a critical factor for success, through its advanced AI technologies and continued investment.
The report emphasized that SKT’s proprietary large language model (LLM), A.X K1, and its Sovereign AI Service Package unveiled at MWC26 demonstrate how technological competitiveness can be translated into a monetization strategy by completing an end-to-end framework that integrates infrastructure (AI data centers), models (A.X), and services. Omdia highlighted that this integrated strategy could offer a solution to the challenge of building AI monetization models, which telecom operators around the world are grappling with.
The report explained that the financial performance of SKT’s AI data center (AI DC) business demonstrates the viability of this monetization model. It pointed to annual revenue reaching $354 million in 2025, up about 35% year on year, driven by rising utilization rates at major data center sites including Gasan and Yangju. It also noted that SKT has a clear roadmap to achieve KRW 1 trillion (approximately $700 million) in AI DC revenue by 2030 and projected that this would become a key revenue stream accounting for roughly 5% of the company’s total revenue.
<SKT AI data center revenue in 2025 presented in Omdia report>
Inderpreet Kaur, Omdia Senior Analyst and lead author of the report, said, “The operator’s approach … is undeniably ambitious and forward-thinking, helping it effectively address the challenges of sovereignty and infrastructure optimization for AI.” and that “these initiatives suggest that SKT has a clear path to monetization, a critical factor for long-term success of its AI infrastructure.”
Omdia’s report signifies that SKT is being recognized not merely as a telecom operator but as a technology-driven service company built on AI infrastructure for sovereign requirements. SKT’s AI business strategy, showcased on global stages such as MWC26, has once again been validated through objective data from a leading global market intelligence firm such as Omdia.
SKT plans not only to lead the global AI ecosystem with its differentiated AI technology and business model, but also to contribute to the national agenda of Korea’s advancement as a top-three AI nation.
