과기정통부, SKT 데이터센터 방문…국산 NPU 활용 현장점검

South Korea's government-backed K-AI initiative transitions from policy to validated industry practice as SK Telecom demonstrates that domestic NPU technology can handle real-world scale—Rebellion's ATOM chips processing 50 million API calls daily for its proprietary A.X foundation model. This operational proof-of-concept validates the vertical integration strategy needed for sustainable AI chip independence. The success strengthens Korea's competitive position while reducing dependence on foreign semiconductor vendors, directly supporting the government's goal to nurture five global AI semiconductor unicorns by 2030.