SK, Qualcomm to partner on semiconductor, 5G services

Chief executives of South Korea’s energy-to telecom conglomerate SK Group on Thursday met with Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon and discussed cooperation in the memory chip business, including co-developing high-performance chips used in data centers and computers.

At the meeting held on the sidelines of CES 2022 in Las Vegas, SK Hynix Inc. Vice Chairman and Co-CEO Park Jung-ho exchanged ideas with Amon and other senior executives of the US wireless technology leader to team up in mobile businesses, according to SK officials.

They shared views to deepen their strategic cooperation in areas ranging from 5G network, next-generation semiconductor chips and smart factory systems to metaverse, a virtual space. Smart factories adopt AI and robot technologies to improve productivity and power usage efficiency.

SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang and SK Hynix Co-CEO Lee Seok-hee attended the meeting with key executives of Qualcomm as well. The two SK Group units are South Korea’s No. 1 mobile carrier and the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker, respectively.

“In this competitive environment for information and communications technology (ICT), cross-border cooperation is not a choice but a must,” Vice Chairman Park told reporters.

“SK’s ICT companies will make borderless cooperation with global companies in all ICT-related fields and become an innovative leader in those areas,” he said.

Park also leads SK Square, an investment-focused unit spun off from SK Telecom Co. late last year.

SK Group expects its strategic partnership with Qualcomm will provide access to the US company’s patents, creating synergy for both its consumer-to-business services and business-to-business operations.

Qualcomm is the world’s largest patent owner in relation to chips used in smartphones and other semiconductor devices. It is expanding its foothold in the fields of connected cars, healthcare and internet of things.

Last year, Qualcomm agreed to cooperate with LG Electronics Inc. in the development of 5G wireless platforms for next-generation connected cars. Both companies have maintained a business tie-up since 2004 to develop telematics technology, connected car solutions and in-vehicle infotainment systems. KedGlobal