▲ Executives from SKT, NTT, Chunghwa Telecom, and other partners pose for a commemorative photo at the NTT headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on June 10.
SK Telecom has announced a joint initiative with Japan’s NTT and Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom to establish an 'IOWN' fund worth $550 million (approximately 760 billion KRW) to invest in next-generation AI optical communication technology.
SK Telecom and NTT held a press conference this morning (June 10) at the NTT headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, to unveil the plan.
The three companies will establish 'Catalite Capital,' a fund management firm based in Silicon Valley and East Asia, to identify and invest in promising AI-related startups across North America, Asia, and Europe.
The investment targets include AI data center infrastructure such as power efficiency optimization and liquid cooling; AI semiconductors including AI accelerators, Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), and Neural Processing Units (NPUs); AI service applications in healthcare, manufacturing, and finance; cloud distributed systems; AI software for inference optimization; and optical communication companies that enhance data transmission performance and power efficiency.
In addition to the three founding companies, approximately 20 other firms have reportedly expressed interest in participating as investors, including Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, GlobalFoundries, Fujitsu, Sony Group, Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and Mizuho Bank.
IOWN, developed by NTT, centers on 'photonics-electronics convergence' technology, which processes data using light.
It is characterized by its ability to enable high-speed, high-capacity data communication while reducing power consumption.
As data centers—the foundation of AI—require massive amounts of electricity, IOWN is expected to become a core technology in the future AI era.
However, this fund is focused on early-stage investment in related companies rather than sharing IOWN technology itself.
"The role of IOWN, which optimizes networks, computers, and power together, is becoming increasingly important," NTT CEO Akira Shimada said at the press conference. "Through this investment, we aim to build a new IOWN ecosystem and create new businesses."
SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang emphasized, "Stable AI infrastructure operation requires solving issues such as power supply and data bottlenecks. The wave of AI is difficult for a single company to overcome alone."
"Through participation in this fund, SK Group intends to strategically invest in global startups possessing core AI infrastructure semiconductor technologies, and to grow together by discovering new customers and creating new business models," CEO Ryu added.
(Photo: Courtesy of SKT, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.