KT Corporation and Microsoft announced a five-year, multibillion-dollar partnership aimed at accelerating AI and cloud innovations in South Korea. The deal will drive the AI and ICT transformation for KT, including developing customized AI solutions and sovereign cloud services for Korea’s regulated industries. Microsoft will provide infrastructure and talent support, while KT will focus on applying these technologies to boost AI services across industries.
The collaboration includes creating a new AI transformation (AX) service company in Korea, which will utilize Microsoft’s cloud and AI expertise. KT will also focus on advancing AI research and development, with plans to build a co-innovation center and support AI startups. Microsoft will contribute Azure credits and technical assistance to fuel these efforts, particularly in areas like network modernization, healthcare AI, and industry AI applications.
As part of its internal transformation, KT will migrate critical workloads to Microsoft Azure, enhancing its IT infrastructure while upskilling over 19,000 employees in cloud and AI technologies. Both companies aim to drive rapid digital competitiveness in Korea and beyond, targeting markets such as ASEAN for further expansion.
• KT and Microsoft enter a five-year AI and cloud partnership.
• The partnership focuses on AI transformation and sovereign cloud solutions.
• KT will launch a new AX-specialized service company for AI services.
• Microsoft supports with Azure credits, cloud infrastructure, and professional consulting.
• KT will modernize IT workloads, migrating to Microsoft Azure.
“Our partnership with Microsoft will expand Korea’s AI foundation and drive transformative innovation across industries and daily life,” said KT CEO Young-Shub Kim.