SK Group Secures Massive AI Infrastructure Partnerships in San Francisco

SK Group’s AI Infrastructure Agreements in San Francisco

SK Group forged massive technological partnerships with leading American tech corporations during a high-profile summit in San Francisco. The conglomerate reached agreements totaling billions of dollars over the next five years to construct artificial intelligence infrastructure, spanning advanced memory chips, AI factories, and data centers.

The announcement builds directly on the Republic of Korea’s Dae-yak 3 major mega-projects introduced the previous month. Under a comprehensive letter of intent with Nvidia, SK secured a major partnership. SK Telecom plans to import next-generation graphics processing units to build an AI factory in South Korea with a capacity of up to 2 gigawatts. This facility will use Nvidia’s DSX full-stack AI factory architecture and incorporate SK Hynix’s 6th-generation high-bandwidth memory, known as HBM4, powering the Vera Rubin next-generation AI computing system scheduled for staged deployment starting next year.

Nvidia will build a new generation of AI factories to lead South Korea’s next growth together with SK Telecom and SK Hynix. Jensen Huang, Chief Executive Officer of Nvidia, via Hankyung

At the same time, SK Hynix secured a long-term agreement to supply AI memory to Nvidia, reinforcing the memory manufacturer’s market dominance. Beyond Nvidia, SK expanded its footprint through additional agreements with other American giants. SK Hynix advanced a long-term AI memory supply agreement with Microsoft, while Anthropic signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on building a gigawatt-scale AI data center in South Korea. SK also held discussions with Amazon Web Services to broaden domestic AI infrastructure collaboration built upon an existing partnership for a joint Ulsan AI data center.

The ‘Burger and Beer’ Dinner and Economic Projections

Earlier, President Lee joined top tech executives including Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won for an informal outdoor gathering at a restaurant near the San Francisco waterfront. The meeting mirrored a previous fried chicken and beer gathering held in South Korea during an earlier visit by the Nvidia executive.

Over California burgers, fish and chips, and Budweiser beer, conversations turned to national economic forecasts. When Jensen Huang inquired about economic growth, President Lee noted that South Korea’s gross domestic product growth rate hovered near 1% last year but is expected to exceed 3% this year. Pointing to the corporate leaders seated beside him, President Lee remarked that the two executives were significantly lifting South Korea’s economic output.

President Lee stated that potential growth could reach the mid-to-upper 3% range driven by artificial intelligence. He added that while inflation sits around 3%, rising prices for AI semiconductor chips are pushing nominal GDP growth toward 17%, a phenomenon not observed in four decades. In response, Chairman Lee Jae-yong looked toward the Nvidia chief and said Thanks to you, prompting a lighthearted joke from Huang about ordering another round of beer.

Democracy as an Economic Driver in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Addressing a gathering of Korean compatriots in San Francisco, President Lee emphasized that new opportunities are emerging through artificial intelligence, comparing the technological shift to humanity’s discovery of fire. He credited the resilience and democratic experience of South Korean citizens as primary assets in preparing for the technological era.

President Lee highlighted that South Korea stands as the sole nation to achieve simultaneous democratization and industrialization following liberation from colonial rule. He pointed to the peaceful resolution of a military coup without bloodshed as a historic achievement, arguing that democracy provides the rationality, objectivity, transparency, and predictability essential for advanced technological economies.

In advanced technology societies, democracy itself becomes a core element in industrial and economic development. Lee Jae-myung, President of South Korea, via Yonhap News

Reflecting on South Korea’s changing global standing, President Lee contrasted historical imagery of post-war destitution with current realities, noting that global industry cannot function without South Korean semiconductor manufacturing facilities. He outlined a national goal of establishing South Korea not as a follower nation, but as an irreplaceable leader staying half a step ahead in advanced technologies.