SK hynix anchors the investment with KRW 14.6 trillion SK Inc. and SK Innovation also provide nearly KRW 1 trillion in support
SK headquarters. ⓒNews1
SK Group has launched a group-wide, large-scale investment drive to secure global leadership in artificial intelligence (AI). Major affiliates, including the holding company SK Inc. and SK Innovation, have successively confirmed capital contributions to a newly established AI investment corporation in the United States, signaling that the entire group is staking its future on securing new growth engines.
According to business circles on the 11th, SK Inc., the holding company of SK Group, has decided to invest USD 250 million (approximately KRW 366.3 billion) in “SK hynix NAND Product Solution.” Previously, SK Innovation also confirmed a capital contribution of USD 380 million (approximately KRW 556.7 billion). The combined amount from the two companies alone reaches USD 630 million (approximately KRW 923.0 billion). Other key affiliates are also expected to finalize specific AI-related investment amounts in the near future.
The focal point of this round of investment is the so-called “AI Company” (tentative name), to be established in the United States with a capital contribution of USD 10 billion (approximately KRW 14.65 trillion) from SK hynix. The plan is to reorganize the existing subsidiary Solidigm and transform its parent company into an AI investment control entity. While SK hynix will take the lead in AI investment in the U.S., SK Innovation, which is centered on refining and chemicals, and the holding company have also joined as co-investors. This is seen as a strong signal of the group’s determination to concentrate its capabilities on AI.
The reason major SK Group affiliates are injecting capital on a group-wide scale is to evolve from a simple component supplier into a “solution partner” that encompasses the entire AI data center ecosystem. AI Company plans to directly identify and invest in companies in the U.S. market that possess core AI-related capabilities.
An SK Group representative stated, “The major affiliates decided on joint capital contributions to support the group’s company-wide growth strategy centered on AI and to secure preemptive investment opportunities in the market.”
Lee Dong-hoon
AI-translated with ChatGPT. Provided as is; original Korean text prevails.
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