SK Telecom Joins Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ ‘Everyone’s Challenge AX-LLM’ to Support Startups with Its Own AI Model
SK Telecom will use its proprietary artificial intelligence (AI)-based AIP to support startups.
According to SK Telecom on the 26th, the company is participating in the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ ‘2026 Everyone’s Challenge AX-LLM’ and continues to support the use of models developed through its AI Foundation Model Project, known as K-LLM, across the startup and developer ecosystem. The 2026 Everyone’s Challenge AX-LLM is designed to provide the technical collaboration needed for domestic startups to adopt and use Korean AI models.
Seven demand-side companies with their own LLMs are taking part in the 2026 Everyone’s Challenge AX-LLM. Startups choose one of the participating companies and submit a business plan, after which the company selects collaboration partners and provides support. The participants include SK Telecom, Upstage Co., Ltd., LG AI Research, NC AI, KT Corporation, NAVER Cloud and Oracle Corporation. SK Telecom received the largest number of collaboration applications from startups among the participating companies, and after a review process involving internal and external experts, it selected three companies — Team Limited, Purcelli and Devall Company — as collaboration partners.
SK Telecom plans to provide the selected startups with access to the A.X K1 API through the end of this year. It will also link the program with its startup acceleration initiative, ‘SKTCH with AI,’ to support service improvement and commercialization validation. During the collaboration period, each startup will develop and test AI services that can be used at customer touchpoints.
Eom Jong-hwan, chief sustainability officer at SK Telecom, said, “Through collaboration with startups, we will expand the use of SK Telecom’s proprietary AI model and contribute to revitalizing Korea’s AI ecosystem.”
Kim Se-hyung, fax123@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
