SK Telecom invests heavily in liquid cooling technology for high-density AI data centers

Korean telco SK Telecom has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Giga Computing, a specialist in liquid cooling technology, and SK Enmove to jointly develop next-generation cooling solutions tailored for AI workloads. Under the terms of the agreement, the three parties aim to collaborate on extensive research and development efforts, including validating technologies to optimize liquid cooling performance and developing artificial intelligence data center (AIDC) solutions for high-density, performance-intensive environments that traditional cooling systems struggle to support effectively.

Giga Computing will contribute its expertise in liquid cooling solutions, while SK Enmove will supply high-quality, energy-efficient cooling fluids engineered for scalability, reliability, and long-term sustainability in large-scale data center deployments. The cooperation will focus on optimizing and validating all three liquid cooling methods commonly used in data centers: Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC), Immersion Liquid Cooling (ILC), and Precision Liquid Cooling (PLC). Additionally, the companies will develop a liquid cooling package solution by conducting operational verification, which houses GPU and NPU servers essential for AI model training and inference.

SK Telecom aims to enhance its capabilities in designing and operating next-generation cooling technologies that minimize power consumption and heat generation, a key factor in the operation of AI data centers. Yang Seung-hyun, head of AI R&D Center at SK Telecom, stated: "Our partnership will accelerate the development of liquid cooling solutions, a key next-generation technology for AIDCs. SK Telecom is committed to becoming a global leader in AIDC operations with unique capabilities through collaboration with global leading companies." Kim Dae-jung, head of the Green Business Unit at SK Enmove, added: "SK Enmove will leverage this collaboration to drive the growth of the liquid cooling market with optimized cooling fluids that can maximize data center energy efficiency and further solidify our position as a leader in energy efficiency."

This partnership aligns with SK Telecom's long-term vision to develop its AI Infrastructure Superhighway, which consists of three core pillars: AI data centers, GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS), and Edge AI. To reinforce its AI data center business, the Korean telco has made strategic investments in Lambda, a global GPU cloud provider, and signed an investment agreement with Penguin Solutions, a specialist in AI-driven data center solutions. In December 2024, SK Telecom launched the Gasan AI data center in partnership with Lambda and introduced 'SKT GPUaaS' to accelerate AI infrastructure expansion in both domestic and international markets. SK Telecom is continuing its collaboration with Penguin Solutions to drive global AIDC expansion, develop next-generation memory appliances, and advance joint research and commercialization efforts targeting emerging enterprise AI use cases and vertical-specific demands.