2 weeks Ago By [email protected](KoreaTimes)
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won delivers a speech during the SK AI Summit 2024 at COEX in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap SK reaffirms alliance with Nvidia, TSMC amid AI boom By Lee Min-hyung Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang requested SK hynix to speed up the supply of next-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips during his meeting with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, in light of the unprecedented demand for semiconductors used in artificial intelligence (AI), the SK chief said, Monday. “The Nvidia chief asked us to step up the timeline of the HBM4 chip supply by six months,” Chey said during the SK AI Summit 2024.
HBM4 is the sixth generation of high-bandwidth memory chips, designed for high-speed data transfer. These advanced memory chips are becoming a significant game changer in the global semiconductor industry, particularly with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI). Chey said he asked Kwak Noh-jung, CEO of SK hynix, a leading global supplier of HBM, about the feasibility of meeting Nvidia's request.
Kwak replied, “I will do my best.” SK hynix plans to produce the 12-layer HBM4 chips in the latter half of next year, faster than its initial schedule of 2026, upon Huang's request. The chairman also boasted SK’s group-wide partnership with Nvidia and TSMC.
“Nvidia, SK hynix and TSMC are fortifying a trilateral partnership to develop the world’s top-notch chips,” Chey said. The SK AI Summit is the group's annual event focused on discussing the latest trends in the AI industry. In response to the booming interest in AI, the company has decided to elevate this year's summit to a global event by inviting prominent business leaders from leading AI companies, including OpenAI Chairman and President Greg Brockman.
SK Group is one of the most aggressive Korean conglomerates in making substantial investments in AI. In June, top executives at the group and its affiliates announced a plan to invest 80 trillion won ($58.42 billion) in AI and chip technology by 2026.
“One of the reasons why we are still worried about the winter of AI is because we have yet to find specific use cases and revenue models in the industry, even if massive investments are being made,” Chey said. SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung speaks during the SK AI Summit 2024 in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap Kwak Noh-jung also delivered a keynote speech at the event, where he outlined the company's plan to provide samples of the 16-layer HBM3E chips to clients early next year.
“We prepare to introduce a series of ‘world's first’ products developed and mass-produced for the first time in the world,” the SK hynix head said. SK Telecom President and CEO Ryu Young-sang also delivered the company's vision to build multiple hyper-scale AI data centers across the nation. SK Telecom President and CEO Ryu Young-sang speaks on the firm's vision to build AI data centers nationwide during the SK AI Summit 2024 in Seoul, Monday.
Yonhap “The telecommunication industry has so far engaged in a war of speed and capacity, but now the network paradigm should be changed,” Ryu said. “The upcoming sixth-generation (6G) network will evolve into a combination of telecommunication and AI.” The company anticipates that the establishment of its AI data centers will attract new investments totaling 50 trillion won and create jobs for 550,000 people.
Additionally, it expects these initiatives to generate economic effects valued at 175 trillion won and stimulate the growth of AI-driven cutting-edge industries..
