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SK Innovation

SK Innovation is set to nurture youth startup teams to address energy and social challenges using artificial intelligence. The company plans to discover and support the commercialization of AI solutions capable of solving not only energy efficiency and carbon reduction issues but also social concerns such as caregiving, safety, and education.

On July 15, SK Innovation announced that it held a kick-off ceremony and a bootcamp on July 14 at the SK Seorin Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, for the final selected teams of the "AI Impact Solution" program. AI Impact Solution is a program designed to discover and foster startups addressing energy and social issues through AI. It is hosted and sponsored by SK Innovation, managed by the Qnesty Foundation, and supported by the Community Chest of Korea.

The 10 selected teams proposed AI solutions aimed at addressing various social issues, including caregiving, safety, the environment, mobility rights, and education, alongside energy fields such as improving energy efficiency in AI data centers and reducing carbon emissions. The selected ideas featured highly practical solutions, including improving inefficiencies in waste battery recycling processes, reducing heat and noise in data centers, analyzing data for early diagnosis of rare cancers, and generating real-time digital sign language.

During the bootcamp, programs were held to flesh out business strategies and execution plans for Proof of Concept (PoC) projects to be carried out over the next four months. Through special lectures on AI technology and business, as well as team pitching sessions, the participants reviewed their problem definitions, development stages, and verification plans, receiving expert feedback on commercial viability.

SK Innovation plans to provide one-on-one mentoring with experts in AI, technology, business, and social impact through October. Particularly in the AI field, experts in physics-informed AI and multimodal AI, along with members of SK Innovation's AX Division, will participate as mentors to support technological advancement. Following this, the company will select the top three teams at a "Demo Day" performance-sharing event in November, continuing follow-up support such as business advancement and connections to impact investment.

"AI is a core tool for resolving complex social issues such as caregiving, safety, education, and mobility rights, as well as energy efficiency and carbon reduction," said Kang Choong-shik, Vice President of SK Innovation. "We will actively support the participating teams so that their technologies can be verified in real-world environments and translate into social value."

                                                                                                            Lee Seo-yeon