At the recent CES 2022, SK Telecom, SK Square and SK hynix announced the launch of the 'SK ICT Alliance' to jointly develop and invest in ICT convergence technologies, and create global market opportunities.
The alliance comes as SK hynix celebrates the tenth year since joining the SK Group and SK Square successfully spun off from SK Telecom, marking the beginning of a new era of synergies between semiconductor, telecommunication and investment. With the aim to secure global competitiveness in diverse ICT areas such as semiconductors, 5G and AI, the three companies plan to carry out joint business activities in the global market by leveraging SK Square's innovative investment, SK Telecom's AI and 5G technologies and SK hynix's future semiconductor technologies.
SK Telecom, SK Square and SK hynix will first create synergies in introducing SK Telecom's AI chip SAPEON* to the global market. The three companies will jointly invest to establish SAPEON Inc. in the U.S. and make inroads into the global AI semiconductor market.
SAPEON is SK Telecom's self-developed AI chip launched in November 2020. Although it is about half the price of a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), its deep learning computation speed is 1.5 times faster and it uses 20% less power than GPU.
SK Telecom plans to lead the development of SAPEON-related technologies by leveraging its R&D capabilities and service experience accumulated in 5G and AI. In the mid-to long-term, the company will expand its SAPEON model lineup by developing AI chips dedicated to data centers and autonomous driving.
SK Telecom will also promote synergies between its AI semiconductor and SK hynix's semiconductor memory technologies, while also attracting strategic and financial investors in cooperation with SK Square.
SK Telecom, SK Square and SK hynix plan to establish a base to make investments overseas this year and attract investment from overseas financial investors to create and operate a total investment capital of over KRW 1 trillion. Detailed discussions on investments are already underway with prominent global investors.
Ryu Young-sang, CEO of SK Telecom
By proactively responding to changes taking place in the areas of AI, metaverse and 5G, we will prepare ourselves for the next decade.
