(LEAD) SK Group chief visits AI data center under construction in Ulsan

SEOUL, September 10 (Yonhap) -- SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won toured an under-construction artificial intelligence (AI) data center in Ulsan, South Korea, on Thursday, emphasizing the need for stronger collaboration between the company's AI infrastructure and its manufacturing operations. The visit occurred the day before the 2026 Ulsan Forum.

Accompanied by chief executives from SK's major affiliates, including SK Innovation, SK Telecom, and SK Gas, Chey highlighted the data center as a crucial component of South Korea's AI infrastructure. He also pointed to SK Innovation's Ulsan Complex (CLX) as an ideal testbed for applying AI to real-world manufacturing processes.

The Ulsan CLX, SK Innovation's primary refining and petrochemical production hub, has been at the forefront of the company's AI-driven transformation, creating potential synergies between the burgeoning AI computing infrastructure and its established manufacturing businesses. Chey stressed the importance of seamless integration between the SK AI Data Center Ulsan and the CLX.

Construction of the SK AI Data Center Ulsan commenced in August of the previous year, with the facility set to commence operations in the second half of 2027. The center, designed to harness high-performance computing using graphics processing units (GPUs) and hybrid cooling systems, aims to outperform conventional data centers in terms of performance and efficiency.

SK Group envisions the Ulsan data center as a hub for attracting AI firms, generating employment opportunities, and fostering manufacturing innovation, serving as a new growth engine for the industrial city of Ulsan.