SK Telecom is restructuring its new AI division and doubles down on infrastructure
In sum – what to know:
AI-first pivot – SK Telecom is restructuring its new AI division simply weeks after launch, consolidating models and providing voluntary retirement because it targets ₩5 trillion (~$3.5B) in annual AI income by 2030.
Infrastructure ambition – The corporate is constructing one in every of South Korea’s largest GPU clusters and partnering with OpenAI on new information facilities, positioning itself on the core of the AI compute layer.
Transferring past connectivity – GPU-as-a-service, enterprise AI, and automation companies mark a strategic shift away from telco-as-pipe towards deeper worth creation within the AI economic system.
South Korean telco SK Telecom is transferring shortly to realign its enterprise round synthetic intelligence. Simply weeks after launching its new AI division, the corporate is providing a voluntary retirement program to workers as a part of a sweeping plan to consolidate and streamline its AI operations.
The reorganization facilities on AI CIC (Firm-in-Firm) — a brand new unit designed to combine SK Telecom’s many AI initiatives right into a single, agile hub. CEO Yoo Younger-sang described the launch throughout a company-wide assembly on September 25 as a pivotal step in reworking how the telco approaches innovation.
“To grab the alternatives of this golden period of AI, we should pursue each inside innovation from the patron perspective and enterprise innovation from the supplier perspective,” Yoo stated.
The AI CIC will unify a variety of efforts, together with SK Telecom’s A. (A dot) private assistant, its enterprise AI companies, information middle operations, R&D packages, world partnerships, and authentication platforms. The corporate says the voluntary retirement program — which entails no compelled layoffs — is designed to assist workers whose roles, groups, or work places could change in consequence. Staff who keep might be reassigned to new positions or regional places of work. Media studies estimate that the unit employs roughly 1,000 individuals.
Severance packages below the voluntary retirement program will differ by tenure and position, stated SK Telecom.
The restructuring is a part of a broader shift as SK Telecom goals to develop into an AI-first firm. The operator is focusing on ₩5 trillion (~$3.5 billion) in annual AI income by 2030, pushed by B2C and B2B companies, infrastructure, and new digital choices.
To assist these ambitions, SK Telecom is investing closely in infrastructure. The corporate not too long ago partnered with OpenAI to construct new information facilities in Korea below the Stargate Korea initiative and has launched a GPU-as-a-service (GPUaaS) platform powered by greater than 1,000 Nvidia B200 GPUs — one of many largest clusters within the nation.
Analysts see GPUaaS as a key entry level for telecom operators into the AI ecosystem. In keeping with ABI Analysis, telcos might collectively generate greater than $21 billion in GPUaaS income by 2030. However income isn’t the one motivation. “They’re before everything constructed for inside workflow functions and integrating AI,” ABI Analysis analyst Larbi Belkhit instructed RCR Wi-fi Information. “GPU-as-a-service is an entryway into the AI marketplace for telcos — not the ultimate step — as a result of it goes again to what telcos are recognized for — managing infrastructure.”
By reshaping its workforce, consolidating operations, and constructing out AI infrastructure, SK Telecom is positioning itself to evolve past conventional connectivity — and develop into a serious participant within the world AI economic system.
