This collaboration builds on a $200 million strategic investment agreement between SK Telecom and Penguin Solutions in July 2024
Korean carrier SK Telecom signed a new deal with SK hynix and Penguin Solutions to advance research, development and promotion of artificial intelligence data center (AIDC) solutions.
This collaboration builds on a $200 million strategic investment agreement between SK Telecom and Penguin Solutions in July 2024. Following the investment, the three companies established a task force with the aim of exploring synergies and create enhanced solutions for customers.
SK Telecom noted that the partnership aims to uncover new business opportunities in the Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern markets, including Japan, to support global growth. It also focuses on leveraging existing software capabilities to jointly create and commercialize a comprehensive software solution for constructing and operating AIDCs. Additionally, SK hynix and Penguin Solutions plan to work together on developing next-generation memory technologies for data centers.
“This collaboration agreement lays the foundation for building globally competitive AI data centers,” said Ryu Young-sang, CEO of SK Telecom. “We will combine the unique technologies of SK Group, such as semiconductors, energy, cooling and memory, with cooperation from global companies to discover and develop a highly competitive AI infrastructure business model.”
SK hynix emphasized the critical role of memory innovation in AI data center efficiency, stating, “Innovation of semiconductor memory technology is essential for the efficient operation of AI data centers, and improving power efficiency and heat dissipation performance is the key challenge. Through collaboration with SK Telecom and Penguin Solutions, we plan to overcome the limitations of memory technology and lead the expansion of the global AI ecosystem.”
Mark Adams, CEO of Penguin Solutions, added: “This collaboration announcement with SK Telecom and SK hynix for the development of AI data centers builds on Penguin’s strengths in solving the complexity of AI. Penguin is excited about the potential of expanding our design, build, deployment and management of cutting-edge AI solutions by leveraging the broad technology capabilities of SK Telecom and SK hynix, and bringing our experience and innovative expertise into additional markets to provide value to new customers.”
Last week, SK Telecom announced plans to release a beta version of its AI-powered personal agent, dubbed “Aster,” targeting North American users in March 2025.
The Asian telecom provider initially introduced the AI agent at the SK AI Summit in Seoul last November, but it officially began recruiting beta testers at CES, with a broader U.S. launch set for later in the year.
Aster is designed as an ‘agentic AI,’ which goes beyond simple Q&A or search functions by understanding users’ intentions to set goals, make plans and complete tasks on their behalf, the telco said.
The AI agent, built on generative AI technology, integrates conversational search through a collaboration with Perplexity, a next-generation AI search platform. Aster focuses on life management, offering users personalized planning, execution, reminders, and advice, according to the telco.
Last year, SK Telecom had announced its ambition to become a global artificial intelligence company by strengthening its own AI competitiveness and cooperating with partners globally.
