Sapion claims 50% faster AI computation than GPUs.
SKT to become an AIaaS provider centered around Sapion
Scheduled for delivery within this year, to be used in national and private projects


AI semiconductors are specialized non-memory semiconductors that perform the large-scale computations required for AI services at ultra-high speeds and low power consumption, resulting in high efficiency. According to Gartner, the global AI semiconductor market is expected to grow rapidly, at an average annual rate of 36%, from KRW 7.8 trillion in 2018 to approximately KRW 50 trillion in 2024.

On the 25th, SK Telecom unveiled the AI semiconductor for data centers, 'SAPEON X220', at the 'Korean New Deal, Meet Korea's Artificial Intelligence' event held at KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, and revealed its vision for the AI semiconductor business.

As AI services rapidly expand across our lives and industries, the amount of data that must be processed increases exponentially, making it urgent to improve the performance of AI data centers. Currently, most companies operate AI data centers using GPUs, but they are burdened by high operating costs resulting from high prices and high power consumption, so the market has high expectations for AI semiconductors.

SKT explained, “The Sapion X220 has superior performance and a lower price compared to existing GPUs,” and “Its deep learning operation speed is 1.5 times faster than that of GPUs, so when applied to data centers, data processing capacity increases by 1.5 times, while the price is half that of GPUs and power usage is only 80%.”

He emphasized, “GPUs are developed for graphic information processing, so when processing multiple data at the same time, excess resources are generated, which reduces efficiency.” He added, “The Sapion X220 is designed to maximize efficiency by utilizing most of the semiconductor’s data processing capacity for multiple data processing.”

SKT is carrying out a Ministry of Science and ICT project to develop next-generation AI semiconductors, and is collaborating with SK Hynix on memory-related technologies. In addition, the company plans to contribute to the revitalization of the domestic semiconductor ecosystem by cooperating with small and medium-sized semiconductor companies such as 'Aegic Land', 'KTNF', and 'Dudaji' in semiconductor design, server system manufacturing, and cloud software development.

◇ Sapion X220, first delivery scheduled for this year

SKT will begin applying the Sapion X220 to various fields such as media, security, and AI assistants to enhance AI services starting at the end of this year. Later this year, the company will apply the Sapion X220 to the government's New Deal projects, the "AI Data Processing Voucher Project" and the "MEC-based 5G Public Sector Leading Application Project," to accelerate the government's AI technology development and upgrade 5G MEC technology.

Next year, the company plans to expand the application of AI semiconductors in earnest, focusing on its AI services 'NUGU', 'Supernova', 'Tview', and ADT Caps, among other SK ICT family products. At the same time, it plans to improve the quality of broadcasting services by applying it to the media platform cloud server of Cast.era, a high-definition digital broadcasting equipment developer jointly established with the Sinclair Broadcast Group in the United States.

◇ Sapion is cultivating itself as a total AI solution brand.

SKT plans to advance into the global market through its AI as a Service (AIaaS) strategy, which provides integrated solutions necessary for providing AI services, from AI semiconductor chip-based hardware to AI algorithms, APIs, and other software.

The plan is to foster 'Sapion' as a differentiated AI total solution brand by incorporating various AI services such as self-developed AI semiconductors, AI-based content recommendations, voice recognition, image recognition, and image quality improvement.

For example, this is a method that helps OTT (Over the Top) companies that wish to introduce AI-based content recommendation services easily introduce high-level AI services by providing them with everything from AI semiconductor-based data centers to content recommendation algorithms and software such as APIs (Application Programming Interfaces).

Additionally, SKT will also advance its mobile communications services by combining its 5G mobile edge cloud (MEC) technology with AI semiconductors. By applying AI semiconductors to MEC servers, customers can enjoy high-level AI services regardless of device performance based on ultra-low latency communication.

Meanwhile, SKT is also developing a follow-up semiconductor to the Sapion X220 through a national project of the Ministry of Science and ICT, and plans to enter mass production in 2022.

SK Telecom CTO Kim Yoon expressed his ambition, saying, “In the future, we will grow into a global top-tier AI company by combining AI semiconductors with SKT’s AI, 5G, and cloud technologies.”