SK Telecom's veterinary AI expands to Australia

X Caliber, SK Telecom's AI-powered medical service for animals, is expanding to the Australian market through a distribution deal with ATX Medical Solutions. The service analyzes animal X-rays to assist veterinarians in diagnosing critical diseases.

SK Telecom Chief Development Officer Ha Min-yong, left, and ATX Medical Solutions founder Roger Davis shake hands after signing a deal to distribute SK Telecom's X Caliber in the Australian market. [SK TELECOM]

SK Telecom’s AI-powered medical service for animals will expand to the Australian market. The Korean mobile carrier announced Tuesday that it has inked a distribution deal with Australian supplier ATX Medical Solutions.

The AI-powered service, dubbed “X Caliber,” analyzes animal X-rays to assist veterinarians in diagnosing critical diseases. It was locally commercialized in September 2022.

The distribution deal comes a mere few months after the two companies initially formed a partnership to utilize X Caliber last November.

ATX Medical Solutions will integrate X Caliber into its cloud storage facility, ITX PACS, in order to allocate the service to Australian veterinary clinics that utilize the software.

SK Telecom anticipates that some 300 clinics that use ITX PACS will have access to X Caliber by the first half of this year.

SK Telecom has been pushing to popularize its medical AI service for animals overseas since last year as part of its broader move to focus on the AI sector and veer away from its mainstay telecommunications business.

The company formed a partnership with Japanese pet insurance company Anicom Holdings last September to distribute X Caliber in Japan. Last month, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with Vetology Innovations, a San Diego-based animal health care company, to enter the United States.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]