MEP equipment and ETAP digital-twin monitoring integrated into SK Telecom’s AI DCIM at the Ulsan data center
Ulsan, South Korea, September 1, 2025
SK Telecom has signed a comprehensive procurement agreement with Schneider Electric to supply MEP equipment—including switchgear, UPS, transformers and automated control systems—for its Ulsan AI data center. Schneider Electric will integrate ETAP digital-twin software with SK Telecom’s AI DCIM platform to enable real-time monitoring, predictive operations and energy optimisation. The partnership also covers prefabricated MEP modules to shorten construction timelines and an MoU to pursue joint UPS and ESS development across SK Group affiliates. The Ulsan facility will expand SK Telecom’s AIDC capacity and support plans to scale energy-as-a-service offerings and standardized infrastructure across projects.
SK Telecom has reached a comprehensive procurement agreement with Schneider Electric to provide mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) equipment and solutions for the SK AIDC in Ulsan. The deal covers a broad set of infrastructure needs and a digital integration effort that will link Schneider Electric’s power-system digital twin software with SK Telecom’s unified AI data center management platform.
Under the agreement Schneider Electric will supply MEP equipment across five categories, including switchgear, Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), transformers and automated control systems. The scope is framed as a comprehensive, integrated infrastructure solution spanning design, construction and operations support for the data center.
As part of the technical scope, SK Telecom will integrate Schneider Electric’s Electrical Transient Analyzer Program (ETAP) into its unified AI Data Center Infrastructure Management (AI DCIM) system. ETAP is a digital twin platform for power systems that covers design, analysis and operation phases; the integration aims to enable digital twin–based operational optimization for real-time monitoring and management of power use and infrastructure utilization.
This procurement agreement is the first tangible outcome of a partnership the two firms announced earlier this year. Since that announcement, the companies have formed a working group that is collaborating on multiple fronts: integrating and commercializing the AI DCIM with Schneider Electric’s automated control systems; developing MEP reference designs; delivering prefabricated, integrated solutions to shorten construction timelines; and expanding joint sales initiatives for Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS).
The two firms also signed a memorandum of understanding to broaden cooperation across SK Group affiliates. That MoU covers joint development of UPS and Energy Storage System (ESS) technologies that will leverage SK On’s lithium-ion battery expertise, and coordination of procurement across group affiliates to capture scale benefits.
The agreement positions the Ulsan AIDC to use advanced MEP hardware plus digital-twin analytics to manage power and infrastructure more tightly. Integrating ETAP with AI DCIM aims to reduce downtime risk, improve energy use, and speed up operational decision-making by combining digital simulation and live telemetry in a single management layer.
The Ulsan AIDC is scheduled to begin operations in 2027. Along with SK Telecom’s Guro data center in Seoul, the Ulsan facility will help push the company’s total data center capacity above 300 MW. SK Telecom has also set a long-term target of achieving annual AIDC revenue exceeding KRW 1 trillion by 2030. The Ulsan project forms part of a broader plan to build an AI Infrastructure Superhighway intended to strengthen the company’s position as an AI hub in the Asia-Pacific region.
The integrated procurement approach and the use of prefabricated MEP assemblies are intended to shorten build schedules and reduce on-site complexity. The working-group focus on commercialization suggests both companies expect to offer combined design-and-build services and packaged infrastructure offers to third parties, using the Ulsan project as a reference.
Joint UPS and ESS development with SK On battery technology could create a vertically coordinated supply chain for energy resilience and storage, while group-wide procurement coordination is intended to capture volume discounts and standardize designs across affiliates.
SK Telecom reported consolidated Q2 2025 results showing revenue and operating performance influenced by both one-time costs and growing AI business lines. Its AI-related businesses, including AI data center services and AI transformation solutions, showed year-over-year growth. The company is also working with cloud partners on a separate plan to establish an AWS AI Zone in Ulsan as part of the broader data center build-out.
Schneider Electric’s secure power and services leadership framed the collaboration as an important step toward building a sustainable, efficient next-generation data center ecosystem. SK Telecom’s leadership positioned the procurement agreement and expanded strategic cooperation as aligned with an AI strategy that balances self-reliance with external partnerships, and as an enabler for both the Guro AIDC and the planned gigawatt-scale expansion in Ulsan.
The agreement covers mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment and solutions for the SK AIDC in Ulsan, with supplies across five MEP categories and support across design, construction and operations.
The integration links Schneider Electric’s ETAP digital twin software for power systems with SK Telecom’s AI DCIM platform to enable digital twin–based operational optimization and real-time power and infrastructure monitoring.
The Ulsan AIDC is scheduled to begin operations in 2027.
A memorandum of understanding expands cooperation across SK Group, including joint UPS and ESS development using SK On battery technology and coordinated procurement to capture scale and drive shared projects.
Benefits include faster construction through prefabricated solutions, tighter operational control via digital-twin analytics, potential new EaaS offerings, and standardized MEP designs that can reduce cost and time for future builds.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Project | SK AIDC in Ulsan — AI data center scheduled to begin operations in 2027 |
| Procurement scope | Integrated MEP equipment and solutions across five categories including switchgear, UPS, transformers and automated control systems |
| Digital integration | Schneider Electric ETAP digital twin integrated into SK Telecom’s AI DCIM for real-time monitoring and operational optimization |
| Group collaboration | MoU to expand cooperation across SK Group; joint UPS and ESS development leveraging SK On batteries |
| Construction strategy | Development of MEP reference designs and prefabricated, integrated solutions to reduce timelines |
| Commercial aims | Joint data center design and construction services, and expanded Energy-as-a-Service sales initiatives |
| Capacity & targets | Ulsan plus Guro expected to bring total capacity above 300 MW; AIDC revenue target of over KRW 1 trillion by 2030 |
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