SK Telecom has officially launched its next-generation sovereign AI infrastructure, introducing a GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) platform built on NVIDIA’s cutting-edge Blackwell GPUs. This development marks a significant leap in Korea’s efforts to bolster national AI capabilities and establish a competitive edge on the global AI stage.
At the heart of this new infrastructure is the Haein Cluster, one of Korea’s largest GPU clusters, integrating more than 1,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs. Offering a major performance upgrade from the H100-based GPUaaS introduced in December 2024, the new cluster provides enhanced computing power to meet growing demand for advanced AI model training and deployment.
Named after Haeinsa Temple, the home of the Tripitaka Koreana—a UNESCO-listed repository of Buddhist scriptures—the Haein Cluster symbolizes the creation of a foundational, enduring AI ecosystem in Korea.
The platform is already contributing to national initiatives. It plays a key role in the Ministry of Science and ICT’s “Proprietary AI Foundation Model” Project, which is focused on developing globally competitive, homegrown AI foundation models. As part of this effort, SK Telecom aims to position its Gasan AI Data Center (AIDC) as a core hub for Korea’s AI infrastructure growth.
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To build out the sovereign AI platform, SK Telecom collaborated with global partners including Penguin Solutions for integrated AIDC support and Supermicro for AI server procurement. These partnerships complement the company’s internal capabilities, including its Petasus AI Cloud—a proprietary virtualization solution that allows for flexible GPU cluster partitioning based on user needs—and AI Cloud Manager, an AIOps platform that oversees the AI service lifecycle from development to deployment.
This launch follows the opening of Lambda’s Korea region in late 2024 and represents another milestone in Korea’s AI infrastructure development. SK Telecom plans to continue expanding its GPUaaS services to support a wide range of industries in scaling their AI capabilities.
“Haein Cluster’s GPUaaS will serve as a catalyst for enhancing both customer and national AI competitiveness,” said Kim Myoung Gook, head of GPUaaS Business Office at SK Telecom. “As an AI infrastructure provider, we are committed to building the nation’s AI superhighway.”
With the Haein Cluster, SK Telecom not only strengthens Korea’s technological sovereignty but also sets a new benchmark for scalable, high-performance AI infrastructure in Asia.