SK Group and Nvidia partner to construct a 50,000-GPU AI factory for next-generation AI workload processing.
SK Group announced Friday that it is collaborating with Nvidia to build a large-scale artificial intelligence factory equipped with more than 50,000 of the US chipmaker's graphics processing units. Leveraging Nvidia's Omniverse -- a real-time 3D collaboration and simulation platform -- SK plans to establish a "manufacturing AI cloud" that will reinforce its competitiveness in the manufacturing sector while supporting the growth of related startup ecosystems. The AI factory includes the manufacturing AI cloud and the AI data center project in Ulsan, forming an AI industrial cluster based on Nvidia GPUs.
SK Group is advancing a hyperscale AI data center project in Ulsan targeting 100 megawatts by 2027, with plans to establish the site as a major Asia-Pacific AI hub. SK hynix, the group's key affiliate and a leading global memory chip-maker, will implement digital twin technology across its semiconductor manufacturing lines. By creating virtual replicas of its production systems, SK hynix aims to improve yield rates, enable predictive maintenance and enhance operational efficiency -- all while significantly reducing costs. The initiative also reflects Nvidia's broader vision to democratize access to high-performance GPU-based computing tools, with the AI platform supporting startups in the manufacturing sector that currently lack access to such resources.
SK hynix has long been one of Nvidia's closest partners, serving as the exclusive supplier of HBM3 -- the fourth-generation high-bandwidth memory used in AI chips -- and accounting for roughly 75 percent of the global supply of the next-generation HBM3E. SK Group Chair Chey Tae-won stated: "SK Group's collaboration with Nvidia is making AI the driving force for innovation across Korea's industrial landscape. Through this partnership, we expect to unlock new possibilities in scale, speed and precision for all sectors. Leveraging the Nvidia AI factory, SK Group will establish a next-generation infrastructure to power advances in memory, robotics, digital twins and intelligent AI agents." Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang added: "In the era of AI, a new kind of manufacturing plant has emerged: the AI factory. SK Group is a vital memory technology partner, helping Nvidia create the world's most advanced GPU computing platforms that power global AI progress. We are delighted to partner with SK to build its AI foundation on Nvidia-accelerated computing and software, creating AI factories that will transform SK and energize Korea's AI ecosystem."
SK Telecom additionally signed a memorandum of understanding with Nvidia on the same day to jointly research and develop AI network technologies. The mobile carrier will collaborate with the US chipmaker to develop AI-RAN, a key technology for sixth-generation mobile communications. AI-RAN enables the rapid, low-latency transmission of AI data generated by various devices across wireless networks, with plans to validate, standardize and commercialize the technology and establish Korea as a global hub for AI-RAN technology verification.
Following the announcement, Chey held a separate meeting with Huang after the conclusion of the APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju, during which the two reaffirmed their longstanding business friendship. Huang gifted Chey a bottle of Japanese Hakushu 25-year-old single malt whisky and Nvidia's DGX AI system, a high-performance computing platform symbolizing the company's cutting-edge capabilities. In return, Chey presented Huang with a semiconductor wafer produced by SK hynix engraved with the message: "The world's best HBM4 product by SK hynix," highlighting the memory chip-maker's leadership in high-bandwidth memory solutions essential for AI infrastructure.