2 weeks Ago By Jung So-yeon
Chairman Chey Tae-won of SK Group has announced plans to contribute to global AI innovation and strengthen the ecosystem by leveraging SK's AI capabilities and fostering partnerships with domestic and international companies. He also outlined initiatives to support the growth of domestic AI startups and build a sustainable ecosystem through SK's AI infrastructure. Chey delivered the opening keynote speech at the 'SK AI Summit 2024', organized by SK Group at Seoul COEX on October 4th.
The event, held under the theme 'AI Together, AI Tomorrow', runs until the 5th and marks Korea's largest AI symposium, featuring global AI industry leaders, academics, and experts either in person or via virtual participation. In his opening speech, Chey emphasized the necessity of collaboration for the future of AI, stating that "while many claim to understand AI, there is much more that remains unknown, and numerous challenges that leaders from various fields need to tackle together." He stressed the importance of collective efforts to positively steer the transformative impacts of AI on society and everyday life.
Chey identified several bottlenecks hindering AI growth, including the absence of 'killer use cases' and revenue models, shortages in AI accelerators and semiconductors, limited advanced manufacturing capacity, energy supply issues for AI infrastructure operation, and the need for quality data. He underscored SK's unique position to address these challenges through partnerships across sectors like semiconductors and energy. Highlighting South Korea's pioneering role in the internet era, Chey advocated for significant investments in AI infrastructure to maintain leadership in the AI age, stressing the importance of establishing large-scale AI data centers, securing quality data, and cultivating talent suited for the AI era.
He committed to supporting the growth of domestic startups and the broader AI ecosystem through SK's infrastructure. During the keynote, global tech leaders and SK Group's collaboration partners joined via video messages or live discussions, enhancing the event's impact. Notable figures included Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, TSMC CEO Wei Zhejia, and UC Berkeley's David Patterson, who spoke about the importance of collaboration in the AI sector.
Satya Nadella highlighted the significance of Microsoft and SK Telecom's partnership in building a robust AI ecosystem in Korea and globally. Jensen Huang and David Patterson discussed AI semiconductor collaboration, while Wei Zhejia congratulated SK on hosting a successful AI summit, advocating for close cooperation to unlock new AI possibilities. Greg Brockman, OpenAI's President, conducted a live on-stage discussion focused on 'The Future of AI'.
Other key SK Group leaders like Yoo Young-sang from SK Telecom presented plans for an 'AI Infrastructure Super Highway', and SK Hynix's Kwak Noh-jung discussed next-generation AI memory technology. The summit's second day will cover topics like AI infrastructure, semiconductors, and services with contributions from the K-AI Alliance and Global Telco AI Alliance. A session on 'National AI Strategy' will feature discussions on Korea's competitive edge in AI, led by notable industry and academic figures.
An SK Group representative expressed that the 'SK AI Summit' is designed to be a focal point for AI ecosystem development, allowing private, government, and academic experts worldwide to engage and collaborate. SK aims to bolster its AI portfolio and expand global cooperation to proactively respond to the AI-driven future..
