SK Group’s AI Vision at the Icheon Forum
The Icheon Forum, a key event in SK Group’s calendar, has become a vital platform for shaping the group’s long-term strategies. This year, the forum has taken on even greater significance as the conglomerate zeroes in on artificial intelligence as the linchpin of its future growth. With approximately 100 participants, the event brought together the brightest minds within the company and industry experts from around the world.
The forum’s central theme is SK Group’s ambitious plan to invest 80 trillion won ($58 billion) by 2026, with a primary focus on AI and semiconductors. This investment is not just about capital allocation; it’s a bold move to secure SK’s leadership in the global AI value chain, spanning services, infrastructure, and innovative technologies. During the forum, Chairman Chey Tae-won, who attended virtually from the United States, emphasized the critical need for SK to consolidate its AI capabilities across all its affiliates to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.
“We must embrace AI not just as a tool, but as a core component of our business strategy,” Chey asserted, “the integration of AI across all our operations is not optional; it is essential for our future competitiveness.”
SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang, who also leads SK Group’s ICT committee, reinforced this vision about SK Group being “uniquely positioned to lead” in the advancement towards AI, reinstating the conglomerate’s goal to “not only participate in the AI revolution but to shape it by leveraging our extensive capabilities in AI services and infrastructure.”
The inclusion of AI pioneers, such as Professor Jurgen Schmidhuber, the “Father of AI,” and former OpenAI executive Zack Kass, highlighted the forum’s focus on cutting-edge developments. Schmidhuber emphasized the transformative potential of AI, as well as the necessary roles and contributions from powerhouses like SK Group and LG.
Kass echoed these sentiments, noting that “the key to success in AI lies in the ability to adapt and scale quickly. SK Group’s strategic investments in AI infrastructure are exactly the kind of forward-thinking approach needed to thrive in this rapidly changing landscape.”
And while SK Group leads with its strategic vision, the efforts of other powerhouses do not trail far behind.
Naver, through its cloud subsidiary, is aggressively expanding into the public AI sector, winning key contracts with government agencies such as the National Information Society Agency (NIA) and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA); these projects are projected to “escalate the presence of the hyperscale AI utilization business”, a Naver Cloud spokesperson commented.
LG’s recent unveiling of Exaone 3.0, the country’s first open-sourced artificial intelligence large language model (AI LLM), adds another layer of support to the SK Group’s AI focus. Exaone 3.0, developed by LG AI Research, is designed to compete with global AI models from giants like Meta and Google.
“We aim to vitalize the AI research ecosystem and improve national AI competitiveness by unveiling the country’s first open-sourced homegrown AI model,” LG AI Research President Bae Kyunghoon said.
As SK Group continues to push forward with its AI-centric strategy, supported by the groundbreaking efforts of Naver and LG, South Korea is poised to lead the global AI revolution.
“This is not just about individual companies; it’s about a national effort to secure our place at the forefront of AI innovation,” SK Supex Council Chairman Chey Chang-won said.
This unified approach will not only drive technological advancements but also ensure that South Korea remains at the cutting edge of innovation, securing its place as a powerhouse in the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence.
<Student Reporter Jayson Park>jaysonpark0809@gmail.com
Jayson Park is a 9th Grade student in Chadwick School
