SKT Invests in Global GPU Cloud Company... Full-Scale Launch of AI DC Business

Investment in GPU Cloud Service Company 'Lambda'
Strategic Partnership to be Established Within the First Half
Aiming to Expand Global DC Market... First Region Southeast Asia

SK Telecom has officially entered the artificial intelligence data center (AI DC) business by investing in a global graphics processing unit (GPU) company.

On the 21st, SKT announced that it had invested in Lambda, a global GPU cloud company, to secure a stable supply of GPUs. This marks the first global move to actively promote the AI DC business.

Founded by AI engineers, Lambda provides cloud services by receiving the latest GPUs from NVIDIA. Currently, NVIDIA monopolizes the global GPU market for data center servers.

The AI DC that SKT is promoting differs from traditional data centers, which provide physical space for stable data storage. It offers GPU servers essential for AI training and inference, power supply for stable operation, and cooling systems for thermal efficiency management.

SKT President and CEO Yoo Young-sang met with Steven Balaban, Lambda’s founder and CEO, who visited Seoul last December, and also visited Lambda’s headquarters in San Jose, USA, last month to conduct negotiations. With this investment securing a stable supply of GPUs, SKT expects to advance the AI DC business based on the largest AI cloud capabilities in Korea.

Additionally, SKT plans to sign a strategic partnership agreement with Lambda within the first half of the year to collaborate on global business and target the domestic and international AI cloud markets.

Furthermore, SKT intends to consolidate the capabilities of SK ICT family companies into the AI DC business, including the data center operation know-how of its subsidiary SK Broadband, high-bandwidth memory (HBM) from SK Hynix, and data center AI semiconductors from Sapeon, to enhance competitiveness in terms of performance and cost efficiency.

SKT plans to expand its business globally, considering Southeast Asia as the first region for entry. At MWC24, the world’s largest mobile communications exhibition held in Barcelona, Spain, SKT aims to achieve business cooperation results with operators possessing data center operation capabilities in the Southeast Asian region.

President Yoo stated, "SKT will continuously develop AI-related capabilities, including infrastructure, to become a leading company in the AI industry both in Korea and globally."

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