South Koran operator SK Telecom has introduced its self-developed artificial intelligence (AI) chip dubbed ‘Sapeon X220’. The operator has also unveiled its AI semiconductor business strategy.
The Sapeon X220 chip is designed to process artificial intelligence tasks faster, using less power by processing large amounts of data in parallel. Its deep learning computation speed is 6.7 kilo-frames per second, SK Telecom said. The product uses 20 percent less power than GPU by consuming 60 watts of energy and is about half the price of a GPU, the produce also said.
Starting 2021, SK Telecom plans to apply its Sapeon X220 product to its Nugu AI platform, to upgrade the voice recognition capability. Sapeon X220 will also be used by SK Telecom’s affiliate companies. For instance, ADT Caps will apply the chip to enhance the performance of its AI-based video monitoring service called ‘T View’.
In addition, the Sapeon X220 product will be applied to the cloud server of the next-generation media platform of Cast.era, a joint venture between SK Telecom and Sinclair Broadcast Group.
SK Telecom also plans to provide the AI chip to enable AI-based projects promoted under the Korean New Deal Initiative put forth by the Korean Government.
SK Telecom aims to generate synergies by combining AI semiconductor chips and 5G edge cloud. The application of an AI chip to a cloud located close to the end users is expected to enable the provision of AI services with ultra-low latency regardless of customer device.
SK Telecom also reports plans to go beyond just providing the AI chip to data centers by promoting the AI as a Service (AIaaS) business. It will offer a package as a service by combining its AI chip and AI software, including diverse AI algorithms for features such as content recommendation, voice recognition, video recognition and media upscaling, along with Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
For instance, an OTT service provider that wants to adopt an AI-based content curation service will be able to implement the service by using SK Telecom’s service that includes data center services, an AI chip, up to AI-based software such as content recommendation algorithm and APIs.
In addition, an industry-academia-research consortium led by SK Telecom is currently carrying out a large-scale project assigned by the Ministry of Science and ICT to develop AI chips and interfaces that can be used for high-performance servers such as cloud data centers. Consortium members include SK Hynix, Seoul National University and Korea Electronics Technology Institute. SK Telecom brings to the consortium its capability in AI processor core and is working with memory chipmaker SK Hynix in the area of memory technology to promote development of AI semiconductor technology.
