SK unveils virtual data center, first 16-high HBM3E at CES 2025

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SK unveils virtual data center, first 16-high HBM3E at CES 2025

Published: 07 Jan. 2025, 16:35 Updated: 08 Jan. 2025, 15:10

JIN EUN-SOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Some 20 kinetic light-emitting diode panels hang in front of SK Group's booth in the Las Vegas Convention Center at CES 2025 on Jan. 6. [SK TELECOM]

LAS VEGAS — Behind 21 light-emitting diode (LED) panels at SK Group’s booth at CES 2025 unfolds the story of the company’s pioneering journey in AI.

When the clusters of panels, dubbed “Innovation Gate,” open, they reveal a virtual data center constructed mostly of LED panels. At its core stands a towering six-meter LED pillar, dynamically illustrating the flow of data within an AI ecosystem.

The booth’s main theme spotlights AI data center technology, encompassing energy, AI, operations and security. A total of 21 related innovations are showcased.

It’s no surprise that SK has focused on data center technology, being the only company in Korea with the unique capability to both operate a data center through its telecommunications affiliate, SK Telecom, and develop cutting-edge AI memory chips through SK hynix.

SK hynix's 16-layer HBM3E is on display at SK's booth at CES 2025. [JIN EUN-SOO]

The booth's centerpiece is a display of the world’s first 16-layer high bandwidth memory 3E (HBM3E) sample, developed by SK hynix. Sitting atop an enlarged mock-up of the chip is an actual tiny sample of the 16-high HBM3E, poised to be supplied to Nvidia’s latest Blackwell GPU.

Aside from an early sample showcased at SK's AI Summit 2024 last year in Korea, this marks the first time the chip has been presented to a global audience.

“The theme of AI memory chips on display here is ‘full-stack AI memory solutions,’” Park Myoung-soo, vice president of SK hynix’s U.S. and European sales, told reporters at the booth.

“We are exhibiting world-first products such as HBM, DDR5, and eSSDs. Then, we have a category called ‘beyond best,’ which expands the capabilities of AI devices with innovations like LPCAMM2 [low-power compression attached memory modules] or high-capacity eSSDs exceeding 120TB. Lastly, there are ‘optimal innovation’ products, including CXL [Compute Express Link] and PIM [processing-in-memory],” Park added.

The energy section showcases cooling liquids capable of saving energy by submerging servers or direct injection onto processors.

Another part of the virtual data center highlights SK’s AI processor capabilities, featuring Rebellions’ ATOM chip. Rebellions is a Korean chip designer which merged with Sapeon last year, a former subsidiary of SK Telecom.

Outside the data center, SK Telecom demonstrated its AI-powered assistant, Aster, along with a veterinary AI service called X Caliber, designed for X-ray image diagnosis.

Visitors can also take a look at the AI security solution ScamVanguard, which analyzes patterns of online scams and tracks them to prevent further damage. It received a CES Innovation award this year.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [[email protected]]