SK Telecom said on Tuesday that its proposed “technical elements and integration architecture for artificial intelligence (AI) data centres” was finally approved as an international standard at a Study Group 11 meeting under the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) held early this month.

ITU-T is the ICT international standardisation body of the International Telecommunication Union under the United Nations. About 190 member states and around 900 industry, academic and research institutions participate to discuss global standards for telecommunications and network technologies.

AI data centres (DC) are complex infrastructure in which various systems operate together, including not only large-scale computing but also power, cooling, storage, security and resource operations. They have higher structural complexity than general data centres. SKT said there has been an ongoing call for international standards defining signal exchange and integration methods among systems inside AI DCs.

SKT expects that the approval will strengthen the foundation for building and operating global AI infrastructure as international criteria for AI DC system integration architectures are established. SKT said it led the adoption after receiving approval from ITU-T in May 2024 for a new standardisation task on “integration structures and methods of AI DC technologies” and then conducting about 2 years of research and international cooperation discussions.

The standard divides key functions that make up AI DCs into a three-layer structure: the service layer, the management layer and the infrastructure layer. It systematically organises the roles and functions of each layer and the signal requirements for integration between layers.

A layer is a concept that distinguishes system structures based on the functions and roles that make up a data centre. Each layer performs a different role and is interconnected through signals.

Like aircraft communicating with air traffic control systems when moving at an airport to exchange information on runway and gate use, it is easier to think of AI DC systems as exchanging status and control information through signals and integrating organically.

SKT said it expects the international standard approval to serve as a catalyst to promote activation of AI DCs among companies and institutions worldwide. SKT said the approval is the result of cooperation with various affiliates within its group and years of accumulating capabilities in AI and ICT while continuing to develop component technologies.

Choi Dong-hee (최동희), head of SKT’s AI Strategy and Planning Office, said, “This standard approval is meaningful in that SKT’s AI DC technology capabilities and operational know-how accumulated so far have been recognised by a credible international organisation.” He added, “We will continue to contribute to international standardisation in the AI field and to the spread of the global AI ecosystem.”