Jeong Jae-heon, SKT CEO: “We Will Transform Korea into an AI Infrastructure Hub”

Jeong Jae-heon, the newly appointed CEO of SK Telecom, stated on the 3rd that he will strive to attract global capital and technology so that Korea can reclaim its position as a hub for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure.
During his keynote speech at the 'SK AI Summit' held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, CEO Jeong unveiled a roadmap for building AI infrastructure. He emphasized SKT’s commitment to expanding AI infrastructure as a national AI leader.
This event marked CEO Jeong’s first official engagement since taking office as SKT CEO. He remarked, “As the CEO of a national AI company at the heart of the AI transformation, I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility. Based on the strategies announced today, we will grow as a national AI leader contributing to Korea’s leap forward as an AI powerhouse.”
CEO Jeong also announced plans to expand the capacity of the Ulsan AI Data Center, currently being built with Amazon Web Services (AWS), to over 1 gigawatt (GW). In addition, SKT will establish another AI data center in the Southwestern Region to strengthen its domestic presence before expanding into global markets such as Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore.
In October, SK Group signed a business agreement with OpenAI, forming a strategic partnership to promote the establishment of an AI data center in the Southwestern Region. In collaboration with SK Innovation Co., Ltd., SKT plans to secure power through an LNG Power Plant in Vietnam and utilize cold energy for cooling systems in the new AI data center.
Furthermore, CEO Jeong highlighted the integration of SK Group’s manufacturing capabilities and facilities—including those in semiconductors and energy—with SK Telecom’s AI technology infrastructure to drive innovation and boost productivity in manufacturing. He noted, “We are currently developing a Digital Twin solution and a Foundation Model for Robotics dedicated to manufacturing AI. In partnership with Nvidia Corporation, we will build a manufacturing AI-specialized cloud computing platform based on 2,000 NVIDIA RTX PRO GPUs.”
Leveraging its strengths as a telecommunications provider, SKT also outlined plans to expand its AI infrastructure solutions. CEO Jeong explained, “As AI services proliferate, the network infrastructure secured by telecom operators is gaining renewed attention. By utilizing our nationwide telecom infrastructure, we can bridge the gap between AI data centers and on-device AI. 'Edge AI' and the intelligent network technology 'AI-RAN (Artificial Intelligence-powered Radio Access Network)' are areas where telecom companies have a unique advantage.”
He added, “The core competitiveness of the infrastructure business lies in cost efficiency and rapid deployment. We are collaborating with group affiliates to implement in-rack and LG Energy Solution technologies, while developing and internalizing Outrack and Cluster Service solutions in-house.”
solidkjy@fnnews.com Gu Ja-yoon Reporter