Peter Zhang
Jun 07, 2026 23:43
SK Telecom groups with NVIDIA to construct a gigawatt-scale AI Cloud in Korea, leveraging NVIDIA DSX to speed up AI innovation and industrial functions.
SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM) is doubling down on its AI ambitions, asserting plans to construct a gigawatt-scale AI Cloud in South Korea in partnership with NVIDIA. The primary part of this formidable challenge, leveraging NVIDIA’s DSX platform, is scheduled to go reside in 2027, in response to a joint assertion launched on June 7, 2026.
Positioned as a specialised AI Cloud, this infrastructure will deal with GPU-based computing tailor-made for synthetic intelligence workloads, together with coaching, inference, and agentic AI—assume autonomous techniques and superior robotics. NVIDIA’s DSX structure guarantees to maximise power effectivity and decrease the price of producing AI “tokens,” the important constructing blocks of intelligence.
For SK Telecom, this challenge is a cornerstone of its ‘AI Native’ technique, unveiled earlier this yr at MWC Barcelona. The corporate is transitioning from its roots as South Korea’s largest wi-fi service right into a vertically built-in AI and cloud infrastructure supplier. This AI Cloud will construct on SK Telecom’s current investments, together with its Haein GPU cluster launched in 2025 and partnerships with OpenAI and AWS for hyperscale AI knowledge facilities.
“Telecom networks have gotten nationwide AI infrastructure,” NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang stated within the announcement. “With NVIDIA DSX, SK Telecom can construct Korea’s AI cloud at scale and convey enterprise and bodily AI to industries that energy Korea and the world.”
Past the infrastructure itself, SK Telecom and NVIDIA plan to pursue joint analysis into next-generation AI manufacturing facility structure, specializing in improvements throughout chip design, reminiscence applied sciences, and knowledge middle operations. SK Telecom can even develop into an NVIDIA Cloud Associate, integrating NVIDIA’s AI software program stack and developer ecosystem into its providers.
The financial and industrial stakes are vital. South Korea is already a worldwide chief in semiconductors, robotics, and superior manufacturing, all sectors poised to learn from AI-driven optimization. SK Telecom’s AI Cloud goals to serve sovereign AI wants for home enterprises whereas probably increasing its attain throughout Asia.
This announcement additionally reinforces NVIDIA’s rising presence within the AI infrastructure market. The DSX platform, constructed for ultra-efficient AI manufacturing facility operations, contains software program like DSX MaxLPS for value optimization and DSX OS for managing multi-tenant environments. As AI demand surges globally, NVIDIA’s skill to reinforce operational efficiencies presents a compelling worth proposition for telcos and cloud suppliers.
For SK Telecom, the collaboration is a strategic play to safe a foothold in AI infrastructure as competitors heats up. Omdia analysts have beforehand highlighted SKT’s robust positioning in sovereign AI markets, because of its full-stack method and GPU monetization methods. With AI more and more shifting from experimental to production-grade functions, SKT’s pivot might additional entrench its management in each home and regional markets.
Traders will wish to watch intently as this partnership develops. Whereas SK Telecom’s inventory is historically telecom-focused, its AI pivot provides a layer of development potential tied to the quickly increasing AI infrastructure market. Equally, NVIDIA’s position in enabling hyperscale AI clouds solidifies its dominance within the GPU and AI techniques area, at the same time as rivals vie for a bit of the market.
The primary AI manufacturing facility coming on-line in 2027 might be a crucial milestone, not only for SK Telecom and NVIDIA however for South Korea’s broader ambitions to steer in AI innovation. The challenge underscores the shifting dynamics in telecom and cloud computing, the place AI-centric infrastructure is turning into as important as 5G networks have been a decade in the past.
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