#South Korea #Seoul #AI Infrastructure #SK Telecom #Haein

SK Telecom's Haein: Revolutionizing AI in South Korea

On February 4, 2026, SK Telecom celebrated six months since the launch of its innovative GPU cluster, Haein, established specifically for GPU as a Service (GPUaaS). Since its introduction on August 1, 2025, Haein has undergone significant development, moving swiftly from initial deployment to stable operation. The cluster is designed to handle substantial AI workloads and facilitate the creation of advanced AI models, marking a pivotal shift in South Korea's AI landscape.

The name "Haein" is derived from the Haeinsa Temple, which hosts the Tripitaka Koreana, a collection of Buddhist scriptures notable for its completeness and historical significance. This choice of name reflects SK Telecom's ambition to create a foundational AI infrastructure that promotes the responsible development and accumulation of knowledge in the digital age.

Enhanced Capabilities of Haein

In its first six months, Haein has made impressive strides, enabling faster experimentation and improved efficiency in training AI models. It acts as a catalyst for collaboration among teams and partners, ultimately fostering a more innovative ecosystem. A distinguishing feature of the Haein cluster is its integrated software stack, which comprises the Petasus AI Cloud, AI Cloud Manager, and the GPUaaS Service Orchestrator. This comprehensive platform is tailored to streamline complex AI workloads, allowing users to transition smoothly from infrastructure provisioning to model development and deployment.

Infrastructure Layer

At the heart of Haein’s architecture is the Petasus AI Cloud, a high-performance data center virtualization platform optimized for AI applications. It supports heterogeneous processing environments, including both graphics processing units (GPUs) and central processing units (CPUs). One of its standout features is the Dynamic Allocation technology, which allows for the flexible segmentation and distribution of large GPU clusters. By virtualizing various transport protocols such as NVLink, InfiniBand, and RoCEv2, it enhances security, performance, and overall resource efficiency.

Haein's virtualization capabilities also ensure that each customer receives a fully segregated environment through logical isolation of GPU and network fabric. This setup dramatically reduces the preparation time for isolated environments from several days to less than an hour, enabling quicker response times for customers.

Simplifying AI Training

To further support users, the AI Cloud Manager has been developed to facilitate large-scale AI training with intelligent job scheduling, allowing different teams to work on massive models simultaneously without sacrificing performance. This multi-tenant functionality improves resource utilization on shared GPU clusters, benefiting overall operational efficacy.

The GPUaaS Service Orchestrator adds another layer of functionality by providing real-time insights into GPU, network, and storage resources. This unified visibility helps customers run their AI workflows more efficiently, enabling faster model development and market readiness while minimizing operational overhead.

National Initiatives and Future Outlook

In August 2025, Haein was selected as part of a national initiative aimed at enhancing the foundation for developing competitive AI models globally. Today, it serves as a core computing resource for AI model training and experimentation under Korea's Sovereign AI Foundation Model Project. This initiative represents a critical step in establishing South Korea as a leader in AI technology, showcasing the country's commitment to fostering innovation.

As Haein continues to evolve, its role in shaping the AI landscape in South Korea remains essential. Through integrated monitoring and anomaly detection capabilities, Haein can promptly identify system failures and restore services quickly, ensuring minimal downtime and reliable service continuity for users.

In summary, SK Telecom's Haein is not just a technological advancement; it signifies a transformative movement towards a more robust, efficient, and responsible AI ecosystem in South Korea. This commitment to innovation and excellence positions Haein as a cornerstone for future developments in AI and technology.