SEOUL — SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has urged all group affiliates to transcend traditional business boundaries and unearth new growth engines for the artificial intelligence era.
During the 2026 CEO Seminar held from November 12 to 14 at the SKMS Research Institute in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Chairman Chey outlined a vision to expand SK’s footprint from AI semiconductors, infrastructure, and energy into AI services. The strategy centers on establishing a self-reinforcing, virtuous cycle where the growth of one business directly fuels another.
The three-day event was attended by some 50 key executives, including Senior Vice Chairman Chey Jae-won, SK Supex Council Chairman Chey Chang-won, and the heads of major SK affiliates.
The core agenda of this year's seminar was the "AI Flywheel" strategy, which aims to maximize synergy across AI semiconductors, infrastructure, and energy to capture fresh market opportunities. Under this framework, competitive semiconductor technology drives the expansion of AI data centers and digital infrastructure, which in turn generates surging demand for power, energy, and advanced AI services. The proliferation of these AI services loops back, serving as a powerful catalyst for further growth in semiconductors and infrastructure.
Leveraging this interconnected structure, SK Group aims to secure a leading position in the emerging "token economy" market—where AI computation and services are actively traded as valuable economic commodities.
“We must break free from conventional business molds and redefine ourselves entirely as an 'AI Company,'” Chairman Chey stressed during his keynote. “Let every member company look beyond existing boundaries to discover uncharted opportunities, connecting them to AI services and the token economy to build a robust AI flywheel.”
He also underscored the necessity of external alliances, noting, “In the AI era, no single company can do everything alone. Open cooperation with global partners is essential to scaling our capabilities and accelerating our pace.”
Following his keynote on the final day, Chairman Chey led intensive discussions on future growth strategies alongside top executives. Rather than traditional routine progress reports, the sessions focused on peer evaluations from external perspectives to identify new business opportunities and screen potential risk factors.
To robustly support these future investments, the group also discussed measures to further reinforce its financial soundness. SK plans to persistently drive "Portfolio Rebalancing 2.0," a strategic initiative aimed at streamlining inefficient operations and sharpening core competitiveness. By prioritizing investments based on robust cash-flow generation, the group intends to strike a sustainable balance between financial stability and future growth capital.
Furthermore, SK Group is accelerating "Practical AX (AI Transformation)" across all corporate functions:
SK hynix is boosting manufacturing efficiency by upgrading smart fabs powered by AI and digital twins.
SK Innovation has improved the production yield of its Ulsan Complex (CLX) through an integrated process map powered by connected facility and operation data.
SK Telecom is driving automation across its AI-based networks and services.
SK Gas is enhancing decision-making efficiency through AI-driven market analysis and knowledge management systems.
By deepening AI adoption across individual affiliates and maximizing inter-company collaboration, SK Group aims to secure powerful, group-wide growth drivers for the future.
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