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SK Chairman Chey Tae-won Calls for Sustainable AI Business Models at Ulsan Forum

morning · · thread: South Korea Announces Major Infrastructure and Cost Support for Semiconductor Industry

2 sources · South Korea · 1 of them is linked to a state

Who reported this

  • Yonhap South Korea · Centre · State-affiliated · Cooperative; statutory national agency with state subsidy
  • The Korea Herald South Korea · Centre-right · Herald Corporation (Yeongpoong Group)

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

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Every source for this story reports from South Korea.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won stated on Friday that the artificial intelligence industry must develop sustainable business models to ensure that massive investments generate the returns necessary for continued growth. Speaking at the 2026 Ulsan Forum, Chey warned that the sector could face an investment bubble if resources continue to flow in without meaningful profits to finance further development.

Chey highlighted the group's ongoing project to build an AI data center in Ulsan in partnership with Amazon Web Services. The project has an estimated cost of 7 trillion won, which is approximately 5.1 to 5.2 billion US dollars, and is scheduled to begin operations in the second half of 2027. Chey noted that the facility has secured nearly 900 megawatts of capacity and that cooperation with Big Tech companies is advancing rapidly.

Regarding the broader AI strategy, Chey identified speed, scale, and safety as key pillars, while adding that sustainability and profit generation are now essential. He specifically emphasized the need for nationwide efforts to secure the large volumes of data required for industrial AI in the manufacturing sector, stating that individual companies or regions cannot achieve this alone.

Additionally, Chey suggested that South Korea and Japan could deepen cooperation in energy to bolster security and reduce costs. He proposed joint efforts in purchasing, storage, and the use of energy, with potential expansion into nuclear power, hydrogen, and renewable energy.

How each side framed it

Centre
The center lean outlet focused on the economic warnings regarding the AI investment bubble and the necessity of monetization.
Centre-right
The center-right lean outlet emphasized the rapid progress of Big Tech partnerships and the strategic expansion of infrastructure and international energy cooperation.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.