SK Group to invest $1.36 trillion in AI chips and data centres

The South Korean giant is betting heavily on both chip production and data centre growth

South Korean conglomerate SK Group has announced a massive 2,100 trillion won ($1.36 trillion) investment roadmap targeted at domestic semiconductor manufacturing and AI data centre deployments.

The strategic push focuses heavily on securing upstream supply chain dominance and scaling computing infrastructure to reposition South Korea on the global AI stage.

“We should not simply export AI products. We need to export intelligence itself while building a domestic market for AI-driven intelligence,” said SK Group’s chairman Chey Tae-won, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.. “To achieve that, we will rapidly build AI factories in the form of large-scale AI data centers.”

SK Hynix plots memory chip production expansion

The group’s semiconductor division, SK Hynix, is spearheading the hardware allocation by committing 1,100 trillion won ($706 billion) to scale production capacity for High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and next-generation DRAM and NAND flash components critical for AI workloads.

Key capital projects within the chip investment include:

• Cheongju: 100 trillion won ($65 billion) allocated for site expansion.
• Southwest Cluster: 400 trillion won ($261 billion) earmarked to construct an entirely new semiconductor production hub.
• Yongin Mega-Cluster: 600 trillion won ($392 billion USD) dedicated to fast-tracking the deployment of its primary semiconductor hub. The group has pulled forward the completion timeline for this project to 2033, moving it 12 years ahead of its original 2045 deadline.

The broader long-term vision outlines a sustained capital expenditure of approximately 100 trillion won ($65.3 billion) annually in South Korea over the next decade, according to Chairman Chey.

SK Telecom pivots to GPUaaS and regional infrastructure

In tandem, telecom unit SK Telecom will deploy 1,000 trillion won ($642 billion) to build out physical AI data centres. The operator intends to establish 15 GW of AI data centre capacity across South Korea by 2035, with an interim target of 5 GW operational by 2029.

The initial phase involves a 140 trillion won ($91.5 billion) investment targeting the southeastern Yeongnam region to create a localised AI hub. This rollout begins with a 100MW hyperscale AI data centre in Ulsan, scheduled to begin operations in Q4 2027. SKT plans to expand this site by an additional 900MW, alongside another 1GW deployment elsewhere in the region.

“The massive AI data centers could transform the region into a hub for the verification and expansion of manufacturing AI, when combined with the manufacturing capabilities in the region,” SK Telecom’s CEO Jung Jai-hun announced during a public briefing with South Korean president Lee Jae Myung last week.

SK Group’s multi-year investment plans arrive amid unprecedented infrastructure spend across the global technology landscape; US hyperscalers, including Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Oracle, are forecast to spend a combined $600 billion to $750 billion USD in 2026 alone. While SK Group’s investments pale in comparison to these true giants, it nonetheless places the organisation firmly as a regional competitor.

For a telco, on the other hand, the scale of these AI investments is broadly unrivalled. SK Telecom has long signalled its intent to shake off its role as a traditional telco and embracing a new persona as an ‘AI factory’. Backed by architectural alignment with NVIDIA, the operator aims to leverage this massive footprint to position itself as a major GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) provider in the Asia-Pacific region.

SK Group has interntional AI ambitions too. Last month, SK Telecom said it would invest 738 billion won ($480 million) into the newly formed ‘AI Co.’, a US-based subsidiary of memory giant SK Hynix created in January by repurposing its US flash memory firm Solidigm. The business, which is intended to operate as a strategic investment and ecosystem vehicle, is backd $10 billion from SK Hynix and a further $250 million and $380 million from SK Inc. and SK Innovation, respectively. By unifying upstream chip manufacturing via SK Hynix with mega-scale data center infrastructure from SK Telecom, SK Group is establishing a strong foundation for global AI development. This multi-trillion-won capital strategy effectively shifts the conglomerate from a regional component supplier into a high-margin, full-stack intelligence powerhouse capable of reshaping the Asia-Pacific tech landscape. SK Group to invest $1.36 trillion in AI chips and data centres

Read More........ → August 10, 2026

India's AI ambitions get boost from nearly $80 billion Big Tech investments

India's AI ambitions get boost from nearly $80 billion Big Tech investments. (IANS Photo)

New Delhi, (IANS): India’s ambitions to emerge as a global artificial intelligence (AI) powerhouse are receiving a major boost as global technology giants have committed nearly $80 billion towards AI and cloud infrastructure in the country over the next few years, strengthening its position as a key innovation and digital infrastructure hub, a report has said.

The latest push came after Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced an additional $13 billion investment in AI and cloud infrastructure in India by 2030, taking the company's total planned investment in the country to $48 billion over the next five years, according to an analysis by One World Outlook.

The report further highlighted that the fresh commitment includes more than $21 billion earmarked for expanding AI and cloud infrastructure.

In addition, the investment adds to similar commitments by other global technology companies.

Microsoft has announced $17.5 billion in investments towards AI and cloud infrastructure in India through 2029, while Google has committed $15 billion over five years to establish its first AI hub in Visakhapatnam, it added.

Together, these investments amount to nearly $80 billion, reflecting growing confidence among global technology firms in India's AI ecosystem.

This momentum to a combination of government policy support, a large technology talent pool, expanding digital infrastructure and a rapidly growing domestic market, the report said.

The government's IndiaAI Mission -- launched with a budget of about $1.25 billion -- aims to build a comprehensive AI ecosystem by supporting computing infrastructure, indigenous AI models, datasets, startups, skilling and responsible AI development, it added.

The government has also operationalised a $12 billion Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund to promote private sector investment in emerging technologies such as AI, semiconductors, biotechnology and quantum computing.

Meanwhile, India is witnessing rapid expansion in digital infrastructure.

As per industry estimates, AI funding in India rose 58 per cent year-on-year in 2025, according to the report.It further noted that with over 1.5 million engineering graduates entering the workforce annually and a large digital consumer base, India is increasingly being viewed as a preferred destination for developing and deploying AI applications at scale. India's AI ambitions get boost from nearly $80 billion Big Tech investments | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........ → July 17, 2026

Tata Motors targets 1.2 million annual PV sales by FY30, plans Rs 40,000 crore investment

Tata Motors targets 1.2 million annual PV sales by FY30, plans Rs 40,000 crore investment. (IANS File Photo)

New Delhi, July 8 (IANS): Tata Motors on Wednesday unveiled an ambitious five-year roadmap for its passenger vehicle business, targeting annual sales of more than 1.2 million units by FY30, a 20 per cent share of the domestic passenger vehicle market and revenues of Rs 1.4 lakh crore, backed by investments of nearly Rs 40,000 crore in products and manufacturing.

Speaking at the company's 81st annual general meeting held virtually on Wednesday, Tata Motors Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said the automaker aims to achieve a tenfold increase in passenger vehicle volumes over the decade from FY20 to FY30.

"Looking ahead in the next five years, the company has a big ambition. Basically, the decade between FY20 and FY30, the company wants to achieve a 10x growth in volumes with an ambition of 1.2 million plus vehicles and achieve a market share of 20 per cent from the current 14.2 per cent," Chandrasekaran said.

The company plans to strengthen its product portfolio with six new nameplates and more than 20 product refreshes over the next five years, while focusing on improving profitability. It is targeting double-digit EBITDA margins, with electric vehicles expected to contribute more than 30 per cent of its passenger vehicle sales volumes by the end of the decade.

Managing Director and CEO Shailesh Chandra said the passenger vehicle business is aiming to achieve revenues of Rs 1.4 lakh crore by FY31, supported by double-digit EBITDA margins and an EBIT margin of more than 5 per cent.

"By FY31 TMPV aspires to Rs 140,000 crore revenues, double-digit EBITDA margins and over 5 per cent EBIT margin, driving PBT to over five times the current level," Chandra said.He added that the company's growth strategy will be supported by investments of around Rs 40,000 crore in new products and manufacturing capacity, while also targeting free cash flows of Rs 10,000 crore. Tata Motors targets 1.2 million annual PV sales by FY30, plans Rs 40,000 crore investment | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........ → July 09, 2026