South Korea’s prominent telecommunications conglomerate, SK Telecom, is undertaking a series of significant transformations within its newly established artificial intelligence division, known as AI CIC (Company-in-Company), only a few weeks after the unit’s formal debut. The company has confirmed that employees working in this division are being invited to participate in a voluntary retirement initiative. This program forms one part of a far-reaching corporate strategy aimed at consolidating SK Telecom’s numerous AI-oriented departments and projects under one cohesive organizational framework, according to information the company provided to TechCrunch.
A representative for SK Telecom explained that the decision aligns with previously announced plans. In late September, the telecom leader revealed both the official inception of AI CIC and its intention to finalize a detailed organizational structure by the end of October. The spokesperson emphasized that the voluntary retirement program should be interpreted not as a cost-cutting or downsizing action but as a supportive and employee-focused measure designed to ease the upcoming integration process. In other words, the initiative seeks to provide flexibility and consideration for staff members who may experience role shifts, departmental changes, or even new office assignments as the company refines its AI operations.
The retirement scheme, according to SK Telecom’s statement, differs from a typical layoff program in that it carries no element of coercion—participation is fully optional, and no employees will be forced to leave the company. Instead, the plan serves as a safety net and a gesture of goodwill toward those whose positions might be affected by internal restructuring or relocations. For individuals choosing to remain with the firm, new career paths could emerge within regional branches or affiliated business units.
Industry insiders informed TechCrunch that the details of this program have been distributed throughout the organization, reaching employees across all professional levels—from recently hired junior staff to long-serving senior team members. Reports suggest that the AI CIC division currently employs approximately 1,000 people. As such, the scale of the transition is considerable, underscoring SK Telecom’s determination to unify its technological resources under a more streamlined and agile architecture.
The corporate spokesperson elaborated that the creation of AI CIC is specifically intended to concentrate all of SK Telecom’s AI-centric functions—previously dispersed among different departments—into a single, integrated body. This merger is expected to enhance collaboration, minimize redundancy, and optimize efficiency. However, such integration naturally necessitates adjustments: overlapping responsibilities will need to be redefined, and certain teams may experience redeployment or reorganization as alignment across the company’s AI ecosystem proceeds.
Once the restructuring is complete, the AI CIC will assume responsibility for a broad spectrum of strategic and technical activities. Its purview will include development of SK Telecom’s personal AI agent, known as “A-dot,” oversight of data center operations dedicated to artificial intelligence workloads, supervision of enterprise AI solutions, and management of international partnerships and investments in AI technologies. By centralizing these efforts, SK Telecom aims to position itself more competitively within the rapidly expanding global AI market.
Although severance packages are anticipated to differ based on factors such as each participant’s job title, years of service, and internal ranking, the company stated that it has not imposed any numerical quotas or targets for retirements. The spokesperson reiterated that because participation is voluntary, it remains impossible at this stage to estimate how many employees will actually choose to depart or how significantly the program might affect the workforce overall.
These internal developments coincide with SK Telecom’s broader strategic mission to refine its corporate structure and bolster operational efficiency through an intensified emphasis on artificial intelligence. The company has publicly outlined ambitious long-term financial goals, including the aim for its AI division alone to generate annual revenue of approximately ₩5 trillion, equivalent to about US$3.5 billion, by the year 2030. To achieve that, SK Telecom expects its AI-powered consumer and enterprise services—along with related infrastructure and partnerships—to become central growth engines.
Further reinforcing its AI-oriented agenda, the telecom leader recently introduced a major infrastructure initiative providing Nvidia Blackwell GPUs through an as-a-service model, thereby enabling clients to access cutting-edge computing resources without heavy upfront capital costs. Additionally, earlier this month, SK Telecom announced a new collaboration with OpenAI to jointly establish high-performance AI data centers in Korea’s southwestern region. This endeavor, part of what the company has named the ‘Stargate Korea’ initiative, underscores its aspiration to become a regional hub for advanced AI development and computational innovation.
Taken together, these actions illustrate a decisive moment for SK Telecom—a moment in which organizational transformation, workforce adaptation, and investment in technological infrastructure converge. By pursuing both structural alignment and forward-looking growth initiatives, the company positions itself to harness artificial intelligence not merely as a tool for innovation but as a fundamental driver of strategic evolution and long-term competitiveness in the digital era.
Sourse: https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/17/sk-telecoms-ai-unit-offers-staff-voluntary-retirement-program-just-weeks-after-launch/
