SK Telecom to launch AI data center firm SK Horizon

SK Telecom said Thursday it will spin off SK Broadband’s artificial intelligence data center business into a new company, SK Horizon, as part of a broader push to expand its AI infrastructure operations. The telecom carrier also signed deals with US investment firm KKR and a consortium comprising Korean investment firms IMM Investment and Stonebridge Capital to invest a combined 3.08 trillion won ($2.23 billion) in the new company. Once the investment is completed, SK Telecom will retain a 51 pe

2026-08-27 18:00:57:00

Apple’s foldable challenge hinges on price

Apple is preparing to challenge Samsung Electronics in one of the few smartphone segments that is still growing. Entering foldables seven years behind its Korean rival, its ability to catch up may hinge on pricing. Apple has scheduled a special event at its California headquarters for Sept. 9. Industry watchers expect the company to unveil its first foldable iPhone, widely dubbed the iPhone Ultra, alongside its iPhone 18 Pro lineup. The foldable is expected to have passport-like proportions, sim

2026-08-27 15:06:02:00

LG CNS enters liquid cooling market with Naver Cloud

LG CNS is entering the liquid cooling business with Naver Cloud, starting with a direct-to-chip cooling system at the Samsong data center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, the company said Wednesday. LG CNS took over operations of the facility in April and signed a colocation agreement with Naver Cloud. The 80-megawatt data center is owned by an asset management firm and operated by LG CNS, while Naver Cloud leases part of the space. The cooling infrastructure will support Naver Cloud’s operation of

2026-08-26 14:11:50:00

SK hynix wage deal rejected by just 25 votes

SK hynix union members rejected a tentative wage agreement Tuesday by just 25 votes, sending the two sides back to the negotiating table after two months of talks. Of the 15,045 votes cast, 7,535 members, or 50.08 percent, opposed the agreement, while 7,510, or 49.92 percent, supported it, the union said. Turnout reached 93.81 percent of the union’s 16,083 members. Electronic voting ran from 6 a.m. Monday to 9 a.m. Tuesday. SK hynix and the union reached a tentative agreement Thursday. It includ

2026-08-25 14:07:38:00

Samsung moves heat pump boiler production to Korea

Samsung Electronics said Monday it is moving production of its eco heating system heat pump boilers to Korea, becoming the first heat pump manufacturer to participate in the government’s heating electrification program aimed at reshoring overseas production. The tech giant began trial production Wednesday at a newly built 2,132-square-meter production line at the second campus of its Gwangju plant. Mass production is scheduled to begin at the end of September after Samsung completes checks on ma

2026-08-24 14:24:50:00

Samsung Electronics plans record W110tr shareholder return

Samsung Electronics said Friday it plans to return between 90 trillion won ($65.2 billion) and 110 trillion won to shareholders this year, marking the largest shareholder return ever undertaken by a Korean company. The tech giant said its board approved the plan earlier in the day, with the upper end of the range more than five times its previous record of 20.3 trillion won in 2020. “The record shareholder return is aimed at ensuring that the benefits of the company’s growth are shared with shar

2026-08-21 17:57:00:00

Kakao seeks to ease investor concerns over planned split

Kakao said Friday that Kakao X, the investment company to emerge from its planned corporate split, will not become a holding company. “There are absolutely no plans to convert Kakao X into a holding company after the split,” Kim Do-young, CEO nominee for Kakao X, said at a briefing. The clarification addresses a central question surrounding the restructuring. Kakao X will retain stakes in major affiliates and manage the group’s investment portfolio, giving it some characteristics of a holding co

2026-08-21 16:38:57:00

Kakao to split into two listed firms

Kakao said Friday it will split into two listed companies, Kakao AI and Kakao X, as the IT giant restructures its businesses around artificial intelligence. Kakao AI will house KakaoTalk, South Korea’s dominant mobile messenger, along with the company’s AI, advertising and commerce businesses. Kakao X will bring together fintech, content and mobility under an investment-focused structure. On Friday, the company’s board approved the demerger under which Kakao AI will be spun off as a new company

2026-08-21 11:40:49:00

Primemas nears CXL memory mass production with Micron

Primemas Inc. is stepping up its collaboration with Micron Technology as the semiconductor startup moves closer to mass production of its compute express link (CXL), pooled-memory technology for AI data centers. The company plans to begin mass production of JBOM, short for “just a bunch of memory,” with Micron in the second half of this year, executives said Thursday. The system combines multiple CXL memory cards into a larger shared pool. The two companies are also working together on Abaco, a

2026-08-20 18:18:36:00

SK hynix, union agree on stock bonuses, wage deferrals

# SK hynix and its labor union reached a tentative agreement Thursday to pay 60 percent of profit-sharing bonuses in company shares and defer part of employees’ wages if the chipmaker posts a loss. The agreement, reached in this year’s wage and collective bargaining talks, also includes a 6.3 percent wage increase and gives employees greater choice over how they receive the company’s profit-sharing bonus. Under the deal, 40 percent of PS would be paid in cash in the year it is awarded, while ano

2026-08-20 15:02:38:00