KT will invest KRW 18 trillion over five years to reshape its business structure into an “AI transformation (AX) platform company.” In addition to its existing role as a telecommunications network provider, the company aims to position itself as an operator of both artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and platforms, pursuing a dual-track strategy. On 6 July, KT CEO Park Yoon-young held her first press conference since taking office at the Pullman Ambassador Seoul East Pole in Gwangjin District, Seoul, and announced this strategy. KT will allocate KRW 4 trillion to information security and information technology (IT), KRW 8 trillion to networks, and KRW 6 trillion to AI infrastructure such as AI data centers and submarine cables. KT also plans to foster its “Token Factory” platform, which allows companies to manage token (AI data processing unit) usage and costs, as a core new business.

Park said, “Until now, companies have typically signed contracts with big tech firms and used AI on a flat-rate basis, but this is shifting to a pay-as-you-go model based on actual usage,” adding, “In that environment, how efficiently tokens are used to obtain the desired output becomes crucial.” She continued, “No one is better at billing than telecom operators,” and emphasized, “If telecom billing expertise is combined with the relatively weaker billing capabilities of AI companies, new business opportunities will emerge.”

KT’s envisioned Token Factory is an integrated operations platform that helps companies use multiple AI models efficiently. Its core is selecting the most suitable model from among various AI models such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, taking into account the nature of the query and cost, and then optimizing token usage. A billing function based on token consumption will be incorporated into the platform.

KT is also moving to “strengthen its core business.” A representative initiative is the plan to invest KRW 12 trillion over three years in information security, IT, and networks. The company will redefine its company-wide security framework and proactively enhance network quality. Through this, it intends to secure leadership in key future network technologies, including sixth-generation mobile communications (6G).

On the AI infrastructure side, KT will invest KRW 5 trillion to build additional AI data centers with a capacity of 1 GW (gigawatt). The company also plans to invest KRW 1 trillion to expand submarine cable supply capacity by more than 90 Tbps (terabytes per second), in response to a sharp increase in global submarine cable traffic demand.

Park stressed, “Even in the AX era, when the range of connected entities expands around AI, KT’s essence of being responsible for Korea’s connectivity will not change,” adding, “We will further solidify the essence of the telecommunications business and, on that foundation, achieve robust growth so that Korea can rise as a powerhouse in AX.”

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