[DiaryPoint = Reporter Eom Ju-yong] SK Telecom, NVIDIA and Rebellions signed a memorandum of understanding on Nov. 9 at COEX in Seoul to develop an AI data center system combining GPUs and NPUs. Under the proposed setup, an NVIDIA GPU would analyze incoming questions while Rebellions’ next-generation NPU, the Rebel R200, generates responses. The companies plan to build the integrated system and test its performance and operational viability at an SK Telecom data center.
The companies plan to use NVIDIA’s NVLink Fusion technology to connect the components. NVIDIA uses the technology to link its platforms with AI accelerators from other companies. Under the agreement, the R200 NPU would be connected to an NVIDIA system, with an MGX rack design used to build a rack-scale system.
The system divides AI inference—the process of generating an answer—between the two chips. The GPU handles the prefill stage, calculating the input question and analyzing its context. The NPU takes over during decode, generating the response one token at a time. The companies aim to increase throughput and power efficiency by assigning each chip the work best suited to it.
If the setup is adopted in live services, users could see changes in response speed and operational stability. For now, however, the announcement marks an agreement to develop and test the system. SK Telecom plans to evaluate it at its AI data center and explore potential uses with services including its A.X K2 model and “Everyone’s AI.”
The collaboration will test whether a Korean-developed NPU can operate within NVIDIA’s rack design and high-speed interconnect system. NVIDIA said, “NVLink Fusion enables Korean ASICs to be integrated with the NVIDIA AI Factory platform.” SK Telecom CTO Jung Seok-geun said the partnership would “validate the potential of Korean sovereign AI infrastructure to improve inference performance and power efficiency.”
NVIDIA’s U.S. newsroom lists the announcement date as Nov. 8, while the agreement was signed at the COEX event in Seoul on Nov. 9, Korean time—the same date shown on SK Telecom’s newsroom release. SK Telecom plans to assess potential service applications and commercialization based on the test results.