SK 회장은 울산 AI 데이터센터 복합단지가 거의 900 메가와트 규모로 확장되고 있으며, 전력 규모 기준 세계 최대급의 AI 컴퓨팅 클러스터 중 하나를 구축하고 있다고 밝혔다.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won said Friday that the planned expansion of its artificial intelligence data center in Ulsan was nearing 900 megawatts, with negotiations with global technology companies progressing rapidly as the group positions the industrial city as a hub for manufacturing AI.

"Ulsan has almost come all the way to 900 megawatts," Chey told reporters at the 2026 Ulsan Forum. "I think we will be able to announce it soon."

SK Telecom, the group's telecommunications subsidiary, is building the facility in partnership with Amazon Web Services. The project, initially launched as a 100-megawatt facility, is scheduled to begin operations in the second half of next year. In July, SK Telecom announced plans to expand the Ulsan site to 1 gigawatt and develop more than 2 gigawatts of AI data center capacity across South and North Gyeongsang provinces. The Ulsan project alone requires approximately 7 trillion won ($5.2 billion) in investment and serves as the starting point for SK Telecom's broader strategy to build up to 15 gigawatts of AI data center capacity across Korea.

"It has not even been a year since the current data center plan came out," Chey said. "We have continued discussions with big tech companies, so the progress is quite fast."

Power supply emerged as a critical concern. Chey emphasized that AI data centers consume electricity continuously and at scale. "SK Innovation is making energy solutions using AI and is also making electrification solutions needed for AI data centers," he said. "We also have partners and investment plans to expand them further."

The chairman positioned Ulsan, a major manufacturing hub, as a potential testing ground for AI transformation across the industrial sector. "Ulsan was also a strategically important industrial base for Korea in the past," he said. "If it becomes a leading model, it has the potential to lead the spread of AI in Korea."

Chey cautioned that the AI industry requires sustainable business models to underpin its massive capital requirements. "I am worried if we make huge investments, but there is not much return," he said. "If all of humanity has put in this much energy, we need to create better business models and commercialize them." He stressed that AI businesses must eventually generate sufficient revenue to reinvest and achieve long-term sustainability.

The Ulsan Forum, established in 2022 to convene SK Group, local industry, and the community around the region's development, drew more than 10,000 online and in-person participants this year.