Seoul: US chip giant Nvidia announced Monday a series of artificial intelligence infrastructure partnerships in South Korea, including a plan with SK Telecom to build a gigawatt-scale AI cloud in the country. SK Telecom plans to use Nvidia’s DSX platform for the project, with the first AI factory expected to come online in 2027, Nvidia said in a statement. The infrastructure is intended to support sovereign, physical, and agentic AI services for enterprises and industries across South Korea.

According to Anadolu Agency, the AI cloud will be based on Nvidia’s full-stack reference architecture, combining accelerated computing, systems, software, and partner technologies to improve time to production and energy efficiency. Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang stated that telecom networks are becoming national AI infrastructure, and this project would aid SK Telecom in building Korea’s AI cloud at scale.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won noted that the partnership would provide the group with full-stack AI infrastructure capabilities, ‘from chips to data center operations.’ Nvidia and SK Group also plan to expand cooperation into joint research on next-generation AI factory architecture, focusing on accelerated computing, memory technologies, and data center operations.

In a separate announcement, Nvidia revealed that South Korean internet company NAVER will expand sovereign AI infrastructure using the Nvidia DSX platform, starting with 55 megawatts and later moving toward gigawatt scale. The project will begin with an expansion of NAVER’s GAK Sejong data center, described by Nvidia as a next-generation hyperscale facility designed to support the company’s AI and cloud services.

NAVER will also utilize Nvidia’s full-stack AI platforms, models, and software to advance regional AI models, including next-generation HyperCLOVA X models, its Seoul World Model development, and agentic AI services. These developments come as South Korea seeks to strengthen its position in the global AI and semiconductor supply chain, while local chipmakers benefit from demand for advanced memory and data center components.

The AI boom has also sparked discussions in South Korea regarding the distribution of semiconductor profits among workers. Recent labor discussions at major chip companies have focused on bonuses and profit-sharing linked to record earnings.