The Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) announced on the 13th that it has begun full-scale activities to establish a standardization strategy for domestic artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in collaboration with the Korea Computing Industry Association (KCIA).
The two organizations held a launch meeting for the 'AI Data Center Expert Council' the previous day at COEX in Samsung-dong, Seoul. As the transition to artificial intelligence (AX) accelerates across most industries, the aim is to address various emerging issues through standardization as 'AI data centers' rise sharply. This council is supported as part of the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Information and Communication Planning and Evaluation Institute (IITP)'s 'Information and Communication Broadcasting Standard Development Support Project.'
While existing data centers focused on versatility, AI data centers provide infrastructure optimized for computing operations with high-density and high-efficiency computing environments, as well as high-performance power, cooling, and networks. In this process, demand for new technological standards that need to be resolved, such as interoperability and energy efficiency, is also growing along with the issue of 'thermal runaway' that causes system performance degradation. The council was established to address these issues through standards and further secure the foundation of AI technological sovereignty.
The council includes eight core corporations related to AI data centers, such as SK Telecom and Okestro. In addition, academics involved in international standardization from organizations like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)'s first joint technical committee 'ISO/IEC JTC 1', as well as experts from related associations, will also participate. Professor Noh Yeon-muk from Dankook University's Department of Computer Engineering serves as the chairperson of the council.
During the launch meeting, SK Telecom presented 'Trends in the Domestic AI Data Center Industry,' and Professor Hwang Soo-chan from Korea Aerospace University, an expert in international standards for JTC 1/SC 39, introduced the 'Standardization Trends for AI Data Centers.'
The council plans to focus on research in three key areas of technology and standardization trends by December of this year: ▲ sustainability technology (power, cooling) that addresses global challenges such as energy efficiency, ▲ hardware (computing, storage) for high-performance AI processing, and ▲ software (AI frameworks, MLOps) for efficient development and operation of AI models.
In addition, standards reflecting the positions of the domestic industry will be developed based on research results. To this end, regular meetings will be held once or twice a month, along with public technical seminars. In 2026, the establishment of an 'AI Data Center Forum' (tentative name) to expand and develop the activities of the council will also be pursued.
Son Seung-hyun, chairman of TTA, stated, 'Since AI data centers integrate various technologies, an integrated approach that is not limited to a specific field is essential,' adding, 'This council will promptly reflect the demands of the industrial field to lay the groundwork for practical standards that can be accepted in the global market and will spare no support to expand the ecosystem by encouraging the participation of various core corporations.'