SK telecom joins hands with Deutsche Telekom to develop AI language model

[Courtesy of SK telecom]

South Korea’s SK telecom Co. will collaborate with Deutsche Telekom AG to jointly develop a telecommunications-specific artificial intelligence (AI) large language model (LLM) as competition intensifies among local telecom companies to expand overseas with their own AI capabilities.

According to SK telecom on Friday, it signed a letter of intent with Deutsche Telekom for LLM joint development.

It is SK telecom’s first achievement since it formed the Global Telco AI Alliance in July with three other global carriers, including Deutsche Telekom, E& Corp. and Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.

The two companies plan to develop a telecommunications-specialized multilingual LLM that supports Korean, German, and English, through collaboration with AI companies such as Anthropic PBC and Meta Platforms Inc.

The LLM sought by the two carriers will be designed to enable global telecommunications companies to flexibly create generative AI services tailored to specific environments in each region, with a target to unveil it in the first quarter of 2023.

“We hope that businesses in various industries can leverage the AI technologies, platforms, and infrastructure of both companies to deliver high value to customers worldwide,” said Chief Executive Officer Ryu Young-sang.

SK telecom aims to expand its AI-related businesses and investments over the next five years, with a goal of reaching more than 25 trillion won ($18.5 billion) in annual sales by 2028.