[Edaily Reporter Kang Min-koo ] SKTelecom(017670)is establishing a specialized subsidiary to strengthen its competitiveness in the artificial intelligence (AI) data center business and is accelerating efforts to build an AI hub in Asia.

SKTelecom announced in a regulatory filing that its board of directors, at a meeting held on the 23rd, resolved to establish “SK Hyper,” a subsidiary dedicated to the AI data center business, and to contribute a total of 750 billion won in cash by 2030.

SKTelecom plans to make an initial investment of 330 billion won this month and inject the remaining 420 billion won in stages depending on the future progress of the business.

The establishment of this specialized company is a follow-up measure to SKTelecom’s strategy announced on the 5th to “build AI data centers with a total capacity of 15 GW by 2035.” The plan is to drive the AI infrastructure business through a separate legal entity to secure world-class competitiveness in AI data centers and emerge as an AI hub in Asia.

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SK Hyper, a subsidiary of SKTelecom, will serve as the control tower for the construction of AI data centers totaling 15 GW over the medium to long term. It will be responsible for the entire process—from securing the land necessary for building AI data centers to constructing and operating substations, attracting customers, and developing business opportunities.

Previously, SK Group announced its plan to build AI data centers in line with the government’s “Three Major Mega Projects for Korea’s Great Leap Forward.” The establishment of SK Hyper is a follow-up measure to execute this strategy and is significant as it is the first organization dedicated exclusively to the AI data center business. Sources both inside and outside SK believe there is a possibility that additional corporations will be established to operate AI data centers.

SKTelecom plans to first build AI data centers with a total capacity of 5 GW in phases, centered around SK Hyper, and expand this to a total of 15 GW by 2035, depending on market demand and business conditions.

Jeong Seok-geun, SKTelecom’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Head of the AI CIC, has been appointed as the first CEO of SK Hyper. Jeong is an AI expert who has served as CEO of Naver Clova CIC and headed SKTelecom’s Global and AI Tech Business Division. Within SKTelecom, he has overseen AI model development, the construction of AI data centers, and the company-wide AI transformation strategy, and he also serves as the head of the recently established “AI DC Integrated Task Force,” which reports directly to the CEO.

CEO Jeong Seok-geun stated, “SK Hyper is the core operational organization driving the SK Group’s initiative to establish an ‘Asian AI Infrastructure Hub,’ and we will focus on securing world-class competitiveness in AI data centers.”