[CES 2024] SK to showcase net-zero, AI tech at CES

LAS VEGAS -- Two days ahead of the kick-off of CES 2024 in Las Vegas, SK Group said it is ready to draw much attention from global partners and attendees at the annual tech show by showcasing its up-to-date technologies in carbon reduction and artificial intelligence this year.

In a press conference held with a group of Korean reporters on Sunday (local time), SK USA Vice President Kim Dong-hyun showed confidence in the group’s capabilities to present its key tech affiliates’ solutions at one site that would fulfill the energy-to-telecom conglomerate's goal to reach a net-zero world.

"We plan to demonstrate we're the optimal partner, which can provide various solutions that even consider the environment," Kim said. "We look forward to working in solidarity with many global companies for the sustainable happiness of humanity and the growth of companies."

At this year’s four-day annual US tech show, SK will highlight its vision for a world that works to resolve the climate crisis -- the "net-zero world" -- via low-carbon technology. By presenting a slew of innovative technologies and projects at the CES, it looks to establish itself as a group that would provide the world's best carbon-cutting solution package.

The net-zero vision is the follow-up to SK’s announcement at last year’s US tech show that the group pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 200 million tons by 2030, which is about 1 percent of the global carbon reduction target set by the International Energy Agency.

SK affiliates have been developing various carbon reduction technologies and solutions as the energy-to-telecom conglomerate has set "net zero" as a new goal in the era of energy transition.

The group’s seven affiliates, including SK Inc., SK Innovation, SK hynix, SK Telecom and SK E&S, are set to jointly run a pavilion at the Las Vegas Convention Center, showcasing the group’s various net-zero technologies and products at one site, ranging from high-bandwidth memory and electric vehicle batteries to urban air mobility and small modular reactors.

Under the theme of “Inspire Happiness,” the 1,850-square-meter showroom, dubbed “SK Wonderland,” will let visitors ride a futuristic train and flying carpet as well as enjoy an AI fortune teller to help them experience a net-zero world. The exhibition booth is divided into five sections and it is the group’s largest of its kind at the tech show.

In the center of the pavilion, a spherical LED screen with a six-meter diameter, reminiscent of the Sphere, a landmark in Las Vegas, will display a video clip about the kind of future that SK is pursuing.

Amid the burgeoning era of artificial intelligence, SK Telecom and SK hynix will jointly operate a separate showroom, dubbed “SK ICT Family Demo Room” to boast their AI leadership in services and technologies.

Some of the key items include the telecom giant’s next-generation data center model and AI pet diagnostic assistance service, and the memory chip maker’s fifth-generation high bandwidth memory chip, called HBM3E. Sapeon, a global AI semiconductor company that spun out from SK Telecom in 2022, will display X330, its latest AI chip that targets data centers.

Chairman Chey Tae-won is set to attend the tech show in person for the second year in a row to strengthen the group’s global partnerships and seek new business opportunities.

The SK chief, who has led the net-zero management initiative, will tour the SK pavilion as well as global key tech firms’ showrooms for eco-friendly solutions. He will also seek SK’s global cooperation deals on net zero and AI.

His brother, Chey Jae-won, who doubles as the group's executive vice chair and the CEO of SK On, the group’s battery maker unit, will view the latest mobility trends and technologies at the tech show. Other SK executives will also participate in the event.