SK Telecom to invest 738.4 billion won in SK hynix's US AI unit
SK Telecom will invest roughly 738.4 billion won ($477 million) in a U.S. investment vehicle set up by SK hynix, joining other SK Group affiliates in backing the chipmaker's AI expansion.
SK Telecom will invest roughly 738.4 billion won ($477 million) in a U.S. investment vehicle set up by SK hynix, joining other SK Group affiliates in backing the chipmaker's AI expansion.
SK Telecom will pour about 738.4 billion won ($477 million) into a United States investment vehicle set up by affiliate SK hynix, joining a widening circle of SK Group companies funneling capital into the chipmaker's artificial intelligence expansion.
In a regulatory filing released Thursday, the mobile carrier said it had signed an agreement to acquire 1,198 newly issued shares of SK hynix NAND Product Solutions, a U.S.-based entity, giving it a 0.9 percent stake in the company. The vehicle was created in January through a partnership between SK hynix and Solidigm, with SK hynix pledging $10 billion toward its buildout.
SK Telecom said its contribution will flow through a capital call structure, meaning funds will be drawn down as needed rather than paid in a single lump sum, within a pre-agreed ceiling. The commitment runs for four years from the date the agreement was signed.
The telecom carrier is not the first SK affiliate to back the venture. SK Inc., the group's holding company, and SK Innovation committed $250 million and $380 million respectively back in March, underscoring how deeply the conglomerate is weaving its various units into a single AI-focused investment strategy.
An SK Telecom official said the group possesses capabilities spanning the entire AI data center value chain, and that pooling resources across affiliates should help uncover new business opportunities.
Analysts see the latest injection as a signal that SK Group is consolidating its position in the U.S. AI infrastructure race, pairing SK hynix's memory chip dominance with SK Telecom's data and network expertise as demand for AI computing capacity continues to surge globally.
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