SKT to Showcase Three Major 'Green ICT Technologies' at Next Year's CES

Joint Exhibition Hall on 'Net Zero' Operated with SK Affiliates

SK Telecom will showcase its three major green ICT technologies at the world's largest IT and electronics exhibition, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023, held in Las Vegas, USA, from January 5 to 8 next year (local time). The photo shows an aerial view of the exhibition hall. Photo by SKT

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] SK Telecom will showcase three major green ICT technologies at the world’s largest IT and electronics exhibition, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023, held in Las Vegas, USA, from January 5 to 8 next year (local time).

SKT, together with SK Corporation, SK Innovation, SK Hynix, SK E&S, SK Ecoplant, SK Biopharm, and SKC, SK affiliates, will operate a joint exhibition hall under the theme “Action for 2030 Net Zero,” aiming to reduce approximately 200 million tons of carbon emissions by 2030.

The joint exhibition hall will be set up in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, covering about 1,200 square meters, where the eight SK affiliates will present technologies and products aligned with the theme of net zero.

SKT will exhibit urban air mobility (UAM), the artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor “Sapeon,” and a renewable energy virtual power plant. The exhibition will feature a life-sized UAM virtual experience simulator, showcasing how the Sapeon semiconductor assists UAM aircraft operation and how the virtual power plant supplies electricity to the aircraft and the vertiport, the takeoff and landing site.

UAM is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL)-based air mobility service powered by electricity. It is an eco-friendly transportation mode capable of vertical takeoff and landing without runways in urban areas and can be integrated with various ground transportation systems. SKT is a founding member of “UAM Team Korea,” a public-private consultative body led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. In 2021, SKT signed a memorandum of understanding with Hanwha Systems, Korea Airports Corporation, and Korea Transport Institute. This year, SKT formed a strategic partnership with Joby Aviation, a global leader in UAM aircraft manufacturing.

Sapeon is a system semiconductor independently developed by SKT. Earlier this year, SKT, SK Square, and SK Hynix invested a total of 80 billion KRW and established a separate corporation to advance the business. It is characterized by executing large-scale computations required for AI services at ultra-high speed and low power consumption. Compared to existing GPUs, its computation speed is 1.5 times faster while consuming only 80% of the power. The first product, “Sapeon X220,” recently recorded 2.3 to 4.6 times better performance than existing products in the AI benchmark competition “MLPerf.” The follow-up model, the “X300” series, is scheduled for release next year.

The virtual power plant is a system that integrates and manages renewable energy generated by individuals or businesses as a single power plant through a platform. In September, SKT signed a business agreement with SK Energy, Korea Electric Research Institute, and startups to develop future virtual power plant technology. Utilizing AI and other ICT technologies, SKT plans to predict renewable energy generation and electricity demand scattered across regions and create a virtual power plant capable of optimal power production, consumption, and trading based on these predictions.

SKT stated, “At this CES, SKT will present green ICT as a leading ICT company to achieve net zero,” adding, “Through CES, we will properly showcase SKT’s eco-friendly technologies to contribute to global participation and action toward achieving net zero.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.