{"id":3243,"date":"2026-08-13T16:15:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T07:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sktelecom.com\/en\/?p=3243"},"modified":"2026-08-13T16:15:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T07:15:24","slug":"building-an-asia-ai-infrastructure-hub-interview-with-chung-suk-geun-head-of-skts-ai-cic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.sktelecom.com\/en\/3243","title":{"rendered":"Building an \u2018Asia AI Infrastructure Hub\u2019: Interview with Chung Suk-geun, Head of SKT\u2019s AI CIC"},"content":{"rendered":"

In early July, SKT announced its vision to help establish Korea as an \u201cAsia AI Infrastructure Hub.\u201d As demand for AI model training and inference continues to surge and high-performance computing infrastructure becomes increasingly critical to national competitiveness, SKT aims to lead the AI infrastructure race and contribute to Korea\u2019s advancement as one of the world\u2019s top three AI nations. A key part of this effort is bringing together the SK Group\u2019s full-stack AI capabilities, spanning telecommunications, semiconductors, energy solutions, and data center construction and operations.<\/p>\n

The first step is the launch of SK Hyper, a new company dedicated exclusively to AI data center business development and committed to investing KRW 750 billion through 2030. Chung Suk-geun, Head of SKT\u2019s AI CIC, has been named CEO of SK Hyper. He also leads SKT\u2019s AI CIC and the AI DC Integrated Development Division.<\/p>\n

We spoke with Chung to learn why SKT is focusing on AI data centers, what gives SK Group a unique advantage in this field, and what SK Hyper\u2019s vision for the future looks like.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe AI race is now an infrastructure race\u201d: Why SKT is focusing on AI data centers<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Q. You currently serve as Head of SKT\u2019s AI CIC, CEO of SK Hyper, and Head of the AI DC Integrated Development Division. Could you explain the role of each?<\/strong>
\nRather than simply describing each role individually, I think it would be helpful to first explain the organizations behind them.<\/p>\n

The AI CIC is an organization that has been exploring how SKT can make better use of AI and develop new business models powered by AI. You can think of it as the team responsible for figuring out how our company should adapt and grow in the AI era.<\/p>\n

The AI data center business grew out of those efforts. SK Hyper, which was recently launched, and the AI DC Integrated Development Division at the group level are the organizations responsible for turning that vision into action. SK Hyper is dedicated to AI data center business development and investment, while the AI Data Center Integration Task Force brings together the capabilities across SK Group to accelerate execution. My role is to make sure each of these three organizations can carry out its responsibilities effectively. Ultimately, the three roles are closely connected by a common goal: establishing Korea as an \u201cAsia AI Infrastructure Hub.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q. The industry describes the AI race as a race to secure infrastructure. Why is infrastructure so important in the AI era, and how are AI data centers different from conventional data centers?<\/strong>
\nGood AI models are built on good algorithms and good data. Both of these are rapidly becoming more widely available and increasingly standardized. Ultimately, the key question is who has access to more infrastructure. Securing more power and more servers has become a critical factor in developing better AI models.<\/p>\n

The nature of data centers is also changing. Conventional data centers primarily house CPUs and storage, while AI data centers add massive numbers of GPUs to the equation. A single GPU consumes a significant amount of power, and concentrating large numbers of GPUs in one location can dramatically improve AI performance. That is why consolidating as many resources as possible in one place is a defining characteristic of AI data centers.<\/p>\n

Q. At the \u201cNational Briefing on Three Mega Projects\u201d held in June, SK described AI data centers as \u201cthe third national infrastructure revolution, following the Gyeongbu Expressway and high-speed internet.\u201d What is the strategic significance of AI data centers as SKT transforms from a telecommunications company into an AI company?<\/strong>
\nWhen highways and the internet were first built, they not only generated construction and economic growth, but also enabled numerous industries to emerge and develop around that infrastructure. The automotive and oil industries, gaming companies, search engines, and telecommunications companies are examples of businesses that grew in this way. We believe AI data centers will similarly generate significant economic impact across the industries around them.<\/p>\n

The strategic significance is even greater. In telecommunications, we have traditionally developed technologies and invested in infrastructure to meet customers\u2019 demand for faster networks and more data. Going forward, customers will demand \u201ctokens.\u201d If we can own and optimize the infrastructure needed to generate those tokens, AI data centers will become not only a new business opportunity, but also a new growth engine for our telecommunications business.<\/p>\n

SK Group\u2019s \u2018full-stack AI\u2019 capabilities across telecommunications, semiconductors, power and construction<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Q. The AI data center industry is a highly competitive field with many global players. What differentiates SK Group?<\/strong>
\nAn AI data center requires much more than simply installing GPU servers in a building. You need to manage the enormous power consumption and heat generated by those GPUs, design the building accordingly, and bring in power from outside. The real competitive advantage lies in optimizing all of these elements together.<\/p>\n

Within SK Group, we have companies with expertise in power generation, construction, semiconductors, computing, networking, and data center operations. If we can optimize and integrate all of these capabilities, we can build a much stronger competitive position.<\/p>\n

I would particularly emphasize our ability to deliver. Looking at the AI data center industry today, supply is struggling to keep pace with rapidly growing demand. Power is in short supply globally, and building AI data centers is itself an extremely challenging undertaking. If SK Group can reliably build AI data centers and deliver AI computing capacity as planned, that capability alone will have tremendous value.<\/p>\n

Q. Among SK Group\u2019s various capabilities, what areas do you see as particularly important?<\/strong>
\nMemory is a key factor in creating structural differentiation in AI infrastructure. One of the biggest reasons for building AI data centers is to support inference, and one of the biggest bottlenecks is the sheer amount of memory available. With more memory, the same GPUs can handle significantly more inference and computation. SK Group can gain an advantage by deploying more memory to deliver AI services more efficiently. I see this as a critical element.<\/p>\n

Another advantage is SKT\u2019s infrastructure operations expertise. Telecommunications requires the ability to make large-scale investments in infrastructure and operate that infrastructure reliably. SKT\u2019s experience in this area will be a major competitive advantage as we expand into AI infrastructure.<\/p>\n

From vision to execution: SK Hyper\u2019s vision for an \u2018Asia AI Infrastructure Hub\u2019<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Q. SK Hyper has been launched as a specialized AI data center business development company. Why was a separate company necessary?<\/strong>
\nBuilding a 1 GW-scale AI data center requires an astronomical level of investment, potentially tens of trillions of Korean won. To take on a project of this scale, you need the ability to attract customers, secure and develop large sites, operate GPU clusters, and raise substantial amounts of capital. SK Hyper was established to strengthen our ability to execute on all of these fronts.<\/p>\n

Of course, it is an ambitious goal. But I would describe the numbers as \u201cunfamiliar, but not unrealistic.\u201d We are already in discussions with global big tech companies on a range of AI data center opportunities. With data centers becoming increasingly difficult to build around the world, and with memory for the servers inside those facilities also becoming increasingly difficult to secure, the next two to three years will be a critical window of opportunity.<\/p>\n

Q. Attracting global big tech companies seems to be key to establishing an \u201cAsia AI Infrastructure Hub.\u201d What would you offer them?<\/strong>
\nI would highlight three things. First is reliable power. Korea has highly resilient power infrastructure, with power outages being extremely rare, and sufficient power supply capacity at the regional level. Locating an AI data center near a power generation facility could therefore be a highly attractive proposition from the standpoint of securing a stable power supply.<\/p>\n

Second is SK Group\u2019s infrastructure capabilities and access to memory. By bringing together SK hynix\u2019s memory capabilities with SKT\u2019s expertise in building and operating large-scale infrastructure, SK Group can become a partner that global big tech companies consider first.<\/p>\n

Third is trust. As AI has become a strategic asset, companies with their own AI models are placing increasing importance on the physical security of their servers. Many companies want to entrust their infrastructure to countries and operators they can trust, and SKT has a significant advantage in this regard.<\/p>\n

Going forward, hyperscalers will continue to expand data centers that leverage economies of scale, while individual countries will develop sovereign AI infrastructure to run their own AI models. The U.S. and European markets are geographically distant from Asia and highly competitive. This could actually create an opportunity for Asia.
\nIf Korea can build the capabilities to attract big tech companies, secure memory, and raise the necessary capital, I believe it can establish itself as a true \u201cAsia AI Infrastructure Hub\u201d and become a major player in the global AI industry.<\/p>\n

Q. Finally, is there anything you would like to share about the future direction of the business?<\/strong>
\nSince last year, I have had the valuable opportunity to meet with a wide range of global partners, understand their strategies and needs, and learn a great deal from those conversations.<\/p>\n

SKT\u2019s transformation toward AI data centers will enable us to deliver greater value to our customers and business partners. Telecommunications services once centered on how much data customers could use, but we have since moved into an era of unlimited data. In the same way, AI infrastructure capable of powering AI assistants that customers can build and use themselves will become increasingly important.<\/p>\n

Having our own AI data center infrastructure will better position SKT to deliver greater value to our customers in the AI era.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In early July, SKT announced its vision to help establish Korea as an \u201cAsia AI Infrastructure Hub.\u201d As demand for AI model training and inference continues to surge and high-performance computing infrastructure becomes increasingly critical to national competitiveness, SKT aims<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3248,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[24,561,421,435,396,562],"class_list":["post-3243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insight","tag-ai","tag-aicic","tag-aidc","tag-datacenter","tag-infra","tag-skthyper"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.sktelecom.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.sktelecom.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.sktelecom.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.sktelecom.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.sktelecom.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3243"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.sktelecom.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3243\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3254,"href":"https:\/\/news.sktelecom.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3243\/revisions\/3254"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.sktelecom.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.sktelecom.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.sktelecom.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.sktelecom.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}