SK Telecom Joins In… Funds from Four Affiliates Flow into SK Group’s 'AI Company'
Date
Jun 28, 2026
Classification
- Startups
#
- Investment/Funding
Author
SK Telecom’s board of directors resolved to invest $480 million (approximately 738.3 billion won) in the "AI Company," a U.S.-based AI investment entity led by SK Hynix. With this, the number of major SK Group affiliates participating in the AI Company has increased to four: SK Hynix, SK Inc., SK Innovation, and SK Telecom. The AI Company is expected to establish itself as a control tower that consolidates the group’s overseas investments in AI semiconductors, power, and data centers.
SK Telecom held a board meeting on the 25th and allocated 400 million won to 'AI Company,' an AI investment entity that SK Hynix is planning to establish in the U.S.
738.3 billion won paid in via capital call over four years… Affiliate investment assets expanded to 1.67 trillion won
SK Telecom's latest investment amounts to approximately 738.3 billion won and will be executed via a capital call method, with payments made in installments over the next four years whenever actual investment demand arises. Previously, SK Innovation and SK Inc. signed investment commitments worth $380 million (approx. 557.3 billion won) and $250 million (approx. 366.6 billion won), respectively, last February. With the addition of SK Telecom's investment, the total assets being injected into or transferred to the AI company by major affiliates—excluding SK Hynix—reach $1.11 billion (approx. 1.67 trillion won). SK Hynix signed an investment commitment limiting $10 billion (approx. 15.43 trillion won) in January of this year and is leading the establishment of the entity.
Established through Solidigm reorganization… Structure with division of roles for semiconductors, power, and data centers
The AI company is reportedly being established by restructuring Solidigm, SK Hynix's existing U.S. subsidiary. Rather than directly engaging in specific business operations, it is expected to function strongly as a platform for managing overseas investment assets across the entire AI industry—including AI semiconductors, data centers, power infrastructure, energy, and software—and for identifying new investment opportunities. Roles are also divided among the affiliates. SK Hynix will oversee competitiveness in AI semiconductors such as HBM, SK Innovation will manage the energy and power infrastructure to meet data center power demands, and SK Telecom will serve as the pivot connecting AI data centers with the demand for AI services. In effect, SK Telecom is joining not merely as a financial investor, but as an AI data center infrastructure provider.
Sequential transfer of overseas AI assets, including TerraPower stake… Emphasis on strategic investment
SK Group's overseas AI-related investment assets are also expected to be sequentially transferred to an AI company. It is reported that stakes in TerraPower, a U.S. Small Modular Reactor (SMR) company held by SK and SK Innovation, will be included in the transfer. TerraPower, founded by Bill Gates, is seeing its corporate value re-evaluated in conjunction with the increase in electricity demand driven by the proliferation of AI data centers. It is anticipated that the AI company's investments will place more emphasis on strategic investments (SI) based on technological cooperation and business linkages, rather than simple financial investments (FI).
With the addition of SK Telecom, SK Group has consolidated its AI infrastructure value chain—ranging from semiconductors (SK Hynix), power and energy (SK Innovation), to data centers and services (SK Telecom)—into a single investment platform. Amidst a trend where AI competitiveness is no longer determined solely by semiconductor performance but must be combined with power, data centers, and software ecosystems, the AI company is expected to function as a control tower for the group's overseas investments.
#SKTelecom #SKHynix #AICompany #AIInfrastructureInvestment #Solidigm
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