Gyeongju: South Korea can serve as a test bed for global efforts to resolve "bottlenecks" that hinder growth of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, with its experience of fostering rapid industrial transformation, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won said Tuesday. Chey, head of the South Korean group which owns chip giant SK hynix Inc., made the remarks during an AI session of the Future Tech Forum, an official sideline event of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit, held in the southeastern city of Gyeongju.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the APEC CEO Summit is set to officially kick off Wednesday, bringing together some 1,700 global business leaders for discussions on AI, energy transition, and other pending issues for APEC economies. Chey highlighted the need to build numerous AI data centers while acknowledging the existing bottlenecks in essential areas such as semiconductors and energy, as the AI paradigm shifts from "reasoning AI" to "agentic AI." He expressed confidence in South Korea's potential as a test bed for overcoming these challenges, citing the country's ability to swiftly adapt to new industries.
The SK Group chief emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation with global players to maintain competitiveness in the increasingly polarized field, where the United States and China are making significant investments. He pointed to SK's joint project with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to establish an AI data center in Ulsan and the collaboration with OpenAI for the Stargate project as catalysts for expanding Korea's AI ecosystem.
SK Group announced earlier that it has signed a letter of intent with OpenAI to supply memory chips for the U.S.-led Stargate project aimed at building global AI infrastructure. Chey underscored AI's role as a "growth engine" and "national security asset" for nations worldwide, noting that future developments in AI capabilities will significantly impact countries.
Tuesday's AI forum, hosted by SK Group, was attended by leaders from global tech companies, including AWS CEO Matt Garman, Meta Platforms' Vice President of Public Policy Simon Milner, Naver Corp. CEO Choi Soo-yeon, and Ha Jung-woo, senior presidential secretary for AI policy and future planning. Chey also hinted at the potential expansion of SK's partnership with AI chip giant Nvidia, highlighting the planned participation of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at the APEC CEO Summit.
Huang is set to discuss collaboration with several Korean companies and will speak at a special session on AI vision for the APEC region on the summit's last day, Friday. When asked about a possible meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, who is scheduled to arrive in Gyeongju on Wednesday, Chey remained reserved, stating that welcoming Trump is his "responsibility."