SK Telecom's Q2 Profit Jumps 67%, AI Data Center Revenue Soars 92%

SK Telecom announced a substantial increase in its second-quarter operating profit, reaching 566 billion won, a 67.3% jump compared to the same period last year. This significant growth was driven partly by the company's recovery from costs associated with a SIM-hacking incident in the previous year, allowing its core business performance to shine through.

The company's burgeoning AI data center division emerged as a key growth engine, with revenues soaring by 92.5% year-on-year to 136.2 billion won. This impressive expansion is attributed to the increasing scale of operations within its data centers. To further capitalize on this trend, SK Telecom recently established a dedicated subsidiary, SK Hyper, to manage its data center operations.

Looking ahead, SK Telecom has ambitious plans for its AI data center infrastructure. The company aims to incrementally open AI data centers with a total capacity of 5 gigawatts (GW) by 2029. This strategic expansion is designed to meet the escalating demand fueled by the widespread adoption of generative AI technologies, positioning SK Telecom as a major player in the AI infrastructure landscape.