SK Telecom Hyper-AI consortium names global tech partners

SK Telecom has appointed Ericsson as sole global technology partner in the Hyper-AI Network Infrastructure Demonstration Project. The move forms part of its project to build and validate an artificial intelligence (AI-)based radio access network (RAN) pilot as a foundational element of South Korea’s national AI Highway agenda, as well as its broader ambition to lead the next era of AI and 6G innovation. The scheme is a government-backed initiative led by Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Information Society Agency. It is designed to validate ultra-low latency, high reliability, differentiated connectivity, large-capacity uplink, distributed AI computing, mobility and network autonomy capabilities that its organisers believe is required for physical AI use cases such as autonomous transport, industrial safety monitoring and humanoid robotics. Through the project, SK Telecom will build AI-RAN pilot networks and demonstrate three physical AI services through 2027, together with a consortium of network, AI, robotics and industrial partners. The SK Telecom-led consortium will verify AI-RAN pilot network performance and physical AI service readiness across multiple industrial settings. The project is looking to cover network slicing , 5G standalone capabilities, AI-based network autonomy, service management and orchestration, distributed AI computing resources, and multiple physical AI use cases including patrol robots, autonomous transport and humanoid low-power mode. An additional part of the initiative will be to generate valuable insights for the broader AI-RAN ecosystem by comparing different vendor architectures, computing resource configurations and deployment models in practical environments. These learnings are expected to contribute to future standardisation and ecosystem development as Korea continues to advance toward 6G . Through its role as the sole global network technology company selected as a main consortium partner, Ericsson claims that its participation will play a defining role in advancing Korea’s ambitions for 6G and physical AI . Ericsson regards Korea as consistently being one of the world’s most advanced and competitive mobile markets, with strong national focus on AI, next-generation networks and industrial digitisation. It stressed that for physical AI services , such as robots, autonomous vehicles, industrial sensors and intelligent machines, AI-RAN can help to distribute computation across devices, radio access networks, edge infrastructure and datacentres. It also saw its role as supporting Korea’s 6G momentum and helping to shape network capabilities that will enable new forms of AI-powered industry, automation and human-machine collaboration. Calling on its legacy in 5G Advanced and AI-native networks , Ericsson said that it will contribute an end-to-end network foundation designed to connect, coordinate and continuously optimise intelligent machines and autonomous industrial operations under the project. The comms tech company said this will help to demonstrate how future networks can evolve beyond connectivity into a critical platform for physical AI enabling intelligent automation, distributed AI processing, and new network capabilities across the broader solution. As part of the consortium, Ericsson will contribute to the development and demonstration of an AI-RAN pilot network that combines advanced radio access network (RAN) capabilities, 5G Standalone expertise, AI-RAN innovations and intelligent network automation. Ericsson added that its offer will extend beyond AI for network operations to include AI in the RAN and time-critical, 5G Advanced capabilities that enable physical AI and connected intelligence applications. In the second phase of the project, Ericsson’s AI-RAN pilot network will be applied to a real logistics environment at KG Mobility’s Pyeongtaek plant , bringing the demonstration from laboratory validation to practical industrial deployment. Ericsson’s technology contribution will include its open network management and automation capabilities, delivered through Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform (EIAP) and a range of AI-based Ericsson rApps designed to demonstrate autonomous network control, intelligent resource orchestration and real-time network optimisation for physical AI services. Commenting on the partnership, Takki Yu, vice-president and head of network for research and development at SK Telecom, said: “As a key national project supporting Korea’s Hyper-AI Network strategy, SK Telecom is pleased to collaborate with Ericsson as a key technology partner to advance AI-RAN technology through global cooperation. “Together, we aim to build a strategic win-win partnership, demonstrate real industrial value, and help strengthen Korea’s AI-RAN technology capabilities and ecosystem for the future.” Ericsson’s head of customer unit for Korea, Sibel Tombaz, added: “Korea is moving with clear ambition to shape the future of AI-native networks and 6G, and Ericsson is proud to contribute our global expertise in 5G, AI-RAN, orchestration and intelligent network automation to this important national initiative. 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