SK chairman calls for AI expansion beyond chips into models, services

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won urged leaders of group subsidiaries to redefine themselves as artificial intelligence (AI) companies and expand beyond chips, infrastructure and energy into AI models and services, building a growth cycle that connects the conglomerate’s businesses. According to SK Group, Sunday, Chey outlined the strategy at CEO seminar held Thursday to Saturday in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. During the seminar, Chey highlighted the importance of an "AI flywheel" to position SK as a key player in a “token economy,” where AI computing and services are traded as resources. “We must break out of existing business frameworks and redefine ourselves as AI companies,” Chey said, urging every affiliate to find new roles beyond its traditional business and connect them to AI services and the token economy. Under the strategy, AI semiconductor capabilities would support AI factory expansion, supporting the growing demand for electricity, energy and AI services. Competitive energy supplies and wider service adoption would spur investment in AI factories and advanced chips.