SK Telecom launches AI processing subscription service

Sk Telecom Launches Ai Processing Subscription Service

SK Telecom CEO Yoo Ryu Young-sang, front, visits SK Telecom's new data center in western Seoul, Dec. 23. Courtesy of SK Telecom

SK Telecom CEO Yoo Ryu Younger-sang, entrance, visits SK Telecom’s new information heart in western Seoul, Dec. 23. Courtesy of SK Telecom

By Nam Hyun-woo

SK Telecom will launch a cloud-based subscription service for synthetic intelligence (AI) processing to capitalize on the quickly rising demand for computing energy required for AI companies, the telecom firm stated Monday.

SK Telecom introduced the official launch of SKT GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) following the completion of pilot operations at its new AI information heart in western Seoul, which opened on Dec. 30.

GPUaaS is a service that permits customers to lease highly effective Graphics Processing Models (GPUs) from information facilities by way of the cloud, as a substitute of buying costly processors. By the service, subscribers can scale their computing energy for numerous high-performance duties akin to AI, machine studying and massive information evaluation companies, paying just for the sources they really use.

SK Telecom launched the service in collaboration with Lambda, a U.S.-based firm. As a part of the service, SK Telecom is internet hosting Lambda’s regional base at its new information heart, the corporate’s first within the Asia-Pacific area.

Based in 2012, Lambda is a GPUaaS supplier that gives AI cloud companies to main tech firms. As a part of its technique to turn out to be an AI infrastructure supplier, SK Telecom fashioned a strategic funding with Lambda in February final yr, securing a dependable provide of GPUs for its cloud companies.

Servers at SK Telecom's new data center in Western Seoul / Courtesy of SK Telecom

Servers at SK Telecom’s new information heart in Western Seoul / Courtesy of SK Telecom

SK Telecom’s GPUaaS can be based mostly on Nvidia’s H100 GPU, which is probably the most superior information heart GPU at present out there in Korea.

Corporations subscribing to SK Telecom’s GPUaaS can customise their subscription package deal by deciding on the variety of GPUs, subscription length and extra choices akin to devoted servers, firewalls and personal traces based mostly on the dimensions and objective of their AI companies.

By the service, shoppers can carry out AI coaching or inference reliably and improve service safety with firewalls and personal traces. Even when their AI workloads improve quickly, shoppers can simply add extra GPUs, decreasing the necessity for added infrastructure funding, SK Telecom stated.

The corporate didn’t disclose particular value ranges however said that subscription charges can be decided based mostly on the variety of GPUs and the subscription length.

SK Telecom reported that over 100 firms have already expressed curiosity in GPUaaS, inquiring in regards to the service’s particulars. Along with company shoppers, the corporate stated universities and analysis establishments are additionally displaying robust curiosity.

Citing consumer analysis, SK Telecom stated shoppers expressed expectations of accessing high-performance GPUs for quicker AI mannequin coaching, renting GPUs for shorter durations of time and saving prices related to buying servers or establishing information facilities.

SK Telecom stated it plans to introduce its newest H200 GPUs throughout the first quarter of this yr, which may also be the primary amongst Korean information facilities.

“The launch of GPUaaS marks step one in bringing our AI information heart enterprise nearer to prospects, and it holds vital that means in establishing SK Telecom as a key participant in AI infrastructure,” an SK Telecom official stated.

“Constructing upon this service, SK Telecom will set up a GPU farm that enhances nationwide AI competitiveness.”

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