SK Telecom will establish a new company named SK Horizon by spinning off its data center and submarine cable business from its subsidiary SK Broadband.
KKR, along with a consortium of South Korean investors, will inject a total of $2.2 billion, equivalent to 3.08 trillion won, into SK Horizon.
Following the transaction, SK Telecom will retain a 51% stake and remain the largest shareholder, while KKR will hold 29% and IMM Investment will own 20%.
SK Horizon will operate and expand SK Telecom’s existing data centers and submarine cable infrastructure.
Previously, in July 2026, SK Telecom established SK Hyper to develop new AI data center projects.
SK Hyper plans to invest 750 billion won by 2030 to build AI data center infrastructure.
The establishment of SK Horizon completes SK Telecom’s AI infrastructure ecosystem strategy, featuring one unit for developing new projects and another for operating and expanding existing assets.
South Korea is promoting the construction of a domestic AI ecosystem to expand data center capabilities and strengthen AI sovereignty.
Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, related enterprises, and the South Korean government plan to invest approximately $2 trillion to develop semiconductor and AI clusters in the coming years.
SK Telecom aims to complete the corporate spin-off process in the first quarter of 2027.
📌 The deal shows that South Korea is shifting from AI chip investments to building foundational infrastructure such as data centers and submarine cables. With a $2.2 billion investment in SK Horizon alongside development plans for SK Hyper, SK Telecom aims to become a pillar of national AI infrastructure. This is also part of a long-term strategy to consolidate AI sovereignty and enhance South Korea’s technological competitiveness.
