SK brings global tech giants as well as Korean startups in AI agent ecosystem

SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won gives keynote speech at the SK AI Summit 2025 held in COEX Nov 3 2025 AJP Han Jun-gu — SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won gives keynote speech at the SK AI Summit 2025 held in COEX convention center, Nov. 3, 2025. AJP Han Jun-gu

SEOUL, November 03 (AJP) - SK Group, chip-strong and central to South Korea's AI ambitions through alliances with global leaders such as Nvidia, OpenAI and Amazon Web Services, is positioning itself as a front-runner in the emerging field of AI agent services by leveraging its strengths in high-performance memory chips, wireless networks and hyperscale data-center technologies.

"AI is no longer a competition of scale, but a competition of efficiency. This paradigm shift is essential," SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won said Monday at the opening of the conglomerate's annual AI summit for 2025. More than 30,000 attendees filled Seoul's COEX convention center, reflecting the intensity of AI investment and interest in Korea and signaling a broader shift toward autonomous Agent AI systems that require far more computing power than current AI applications.

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, appearing via video message, highlighted the expanding partnership with SK, under which the Korean group's chip unit will supply 900,000 high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips each month for the Stargate AI infrastructure project.

Physical AI demonstrated through humanoid robots at the SK AI Summit 2025 held in COEX convention center, Nov. 3, 2025. AJP Han Jun-gu

Chey pointed to the maturation of inference models, accelerating business-to-business AI adoption, the rise of Agent AI, and intensifying sovereign AI competition as the four forces driving today's explosive computing demand. Global data-center investment reached $600 billion this year, he said, growing about 24 percent annually for the past five years.

To ease chip supply bottlenecks, SK hynix is expanding production capacity at its Gwangju facility and pressing ahead with the Yongin semiconductor cluster, scheduled to begin operations in 2027. Each fab at Yongin will have roughly six times the capacity of the company's Cheongju M15X facility, Chey said.
At the infrastructure layer, SK is building AI-optimized data centers in Ulsan with Amazon Web Services and in Korea's southwest region with OpenAI. "We are seeking the most efficient and ideal AI infrastructure structure," he said.

Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy, in a video address, called SK a key partner in advancing global AI solutions, adding that performance improvements in semiconductors are becoming increasingly vital to building next-generation infrastructure.

Main hall of the SK AI Summit 2025 held in COEX convention center, Nov. 3, 2025. AJP Han Jun-gu

On the sidelines of the summit, universities and startups showcased Agent AI applications ranging from accessibility services to early childhood development. Chung-Ang University demonstrated an AI assistant that helps elderly and disabled users navigate restaurant kiosks by analyzing interfaces and presenting simplified choices. Yonsei University presented A-Eye, a walking-assistance service for the visually impaired that analyzes video input and provides real-time directions such as warning of obstacles or suggesting safe paths. Startup Todak Todac unveiled diagnostic tools that monitor muscle development, social interaction and cognitive patterns in young children, with plans to connect families to counselors for further support.

SK stressed that it does not intend to compete with its partners but instead aims to create collaborative AI business opportunities. The group is already applying AI inside its manufacturing operations, including efforts to develop a fully autonomous memory-chip production system using Nvidia's Omniverse simulation platform.
The summit also featured presentations from Nvidia's Tim Costa on next-generation semiconductor design, Kakao chief executive Chung Shin-a on sustainable AI agent development, and Anthropic co-founder Ben Mann on building safe and trustworthy AI systems.

SK Group said it aims to contribute to building a Korean AI ecosystem that supports the government's goal of becoming one of the world's top three AI powers, with a focus on semiconductors, infrastructure and AI model development through partnerships with domestic and international companies.

Kim Dong-young davekim0807@ajupress.com