SK Telecom announced on the 24th that it will make a strategic investment in 'together.ai', a global artificial intelligence (AI) optimization startup, and strengthen development collaboration for building an AI platform.
Together AI, a company specializing in AI cloud and open source, was founded in 2022 in California, USA, and has recently received $305 million in Series B funding, earning recognition for its growth as a global AI corporation.
Together AI primarily offers services based on inference and fine-tuning using AI open source, as well as building low-cost graphic processing unit (GPU) clusters in collaboration with NVIDIA. The company also includes key researchers known for developing the innovative algorithm 'FlashAttention' in the AI optimization field, serving over 500,000 customers including global corporations such as Zoom, The Washington Post, and Salesforce.
SK Telecom is seeking collaboration with Together AI regarding the global personal AI agent 'Aster (A)', LLM, and GPU optimization as it prepares to enter the North American market. This is because Together AI possesses capabilities in AI model training and fine-tuning, as well as in implementing computing resource optimization technologies. Additionally, SK Telecom will explore further business collaboration items and synergy creation opportunities across the AI field, including its own LLM, adot, and AI DC.
For instance, utilizing Together AI's GPU computation optimization technology 'Together Kernel Collection' and model compression quantization technology 'QTIP' can drastically reduce AI model capacity and effectively cut initial GPU investment and operational costs.
Based on this technological capability of Together AI, both companies expect to unite in various AI areas that constitute the AI ecosystem of SK Telecom, from AI models and AI platforms to AI DC.
Vipul Ved Prakash, co-founder and CEO of Together AI, said, 'AI is opening up new possibilities for innovation beyond optimizing existing processes, reshaping all industries,' adding, 'Collaboration with SK Telecom is an important partnership for Together AI and is expected to create significant synergy in developing SK Telecom's new personal AI agent.'
Lee Jae-shin, head of SK Telecom's AI growth strategy division, stated, 'Through this collaboration, SK Telecom will enhance its AI platform technology and provide innovative services to global AI customers,' and noted, 'We will create a unique 'AI usage method' for SK Telecom through continuous investments in and collaborations with AI startups.'