CHONGQING, China, July 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A major financial summit was held in Chongqing on July 3 aimed at strengthening connections between capital and the city’s innovation-driven industries. The “Financial Support for High-Quality Development” conference featured deal-signing, investment pitches, panel discussions, and startup showcases, all designed to channel more private and institutional funding into local supply chains, technological innovation, and infrastructure projects. The event served as a targeted matchmaking platform—connecting companies seeking growth capital with financial institutions looking for investment opportunities in one of China’s fastest-growing urban centers.

During the conference, the city unveiled four new financing lists covering industrial, technological, infrastructure, and state-owned enterprise projects. In total, 549 projects are seeking approximately RMB419.4 billion in funding. Following multiple rounds of matchmaking, 60.66% of these projects have already secured matching investors. As of the end of the first quarter, the city’s medium- and long-term manufacturing loans reached RMB298.5 billion, while sci-tech lending hit RMB870 billion—up 13.9% and 13.1% year-on-year, respectively.

Beyond project pipelines, the conference delivered tangible outcomes: 56 contracts valued at RMB154.9 billion were signed on-site. The funds are directed toward some of China’s most dynamic industrial sectors, including connected electric vehicles and next-generation electronics manufacturing. Perhaps more telling is the diversity of financial backers—banks, securities firms, and asset managers all participated.

Zhang Zemin, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said Chongqing is cultivating a collaborative ecosystem that unites universities, research institutes, hospitals, and corporations. He called on investors to focus on early-stage, innovative companies developing hard-tech healthcare technologies. Separately, Yin Qi, chairman of Afari Technology, observed that artificial intelligence and the automotive industry are now advancing in tandem. He urged deeper integration of R&D, manufacturing, capital, and talent to foster a self-sustaining industrial environment.

Executives from three major financial institutions—Xu Siwei, chairman of state-owned China Reform Holdings Corporation; Chen Liang, chairman of China International Capital Corporation (CICC); and Li Liang, founding partner of Hillhouse—said they would continue to increase investment to drive Chongqing’s technological innovation and industrial transformation by strengthening collaboration between finance and industry.

The event, organized by the Chongqing municipal government in partnership with its finance, technology, industry, and economic planning agencies. Two off-site sessions, held in the regional hubs of Wanzhou and Yongchuan, will explore each region’s role in Chongqing’s future growth.

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SOURCE Xinhua Finance

Ulsan AI Data Center to expand to GW scale; 5GW to be activated in stages from 2029, reaching 15GW in totalSK Group brings together full-stack AI infrastructure capabilities; SKT to spearhead the overall projectKorea’s third national infrastructure revolution following the Gyeongbu Expressway and high-speed internet

SEOUL, Korea, July 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM, hereafter “SKT”) today announced that it will pursue the construction of an AI data center with a scale of up to 15GW. The goal is to become an AI infrastructure hub in Asia.

The move is intended to preemptively build domestic AI computing infrastructure at a time when demand for AI model training and inference is surging and high-performance computing infrastructure determines national competitiveness.

SKT is pursuing the project by linking it with the government’s “AI G3” strategy — the goal of becoming one of the world’s three leading AI powers alongside the U.S. and China — and the task of balanced regional development, comprehensively reviewing core infrastructure elements such as power, siting, and operations for the AI data center.

Ulsan AI Data Center to Expand to GW Scale; 5GW to Be Activated in Stages from 2029, Reaching 15GW in Total

Due to the buildout of high-performance AI computing infrastructure and rising memory prices, constructing a typical 1GW-class AI data center may require a substantial project cost reaching approximately KRW 70 trillion. Such costs are expected to be financed not only through the company’s own investment but also through strategic partner investment, long-term customer contracts, and project financing.

The backdrop to SKT’s move into building an AI data center at this scale is a global supply shortage. Global consulting firm McKinsey & Company forecasts that global data center demand will grow 19–22% annually while supply fails to keep pace, resulting in an estimated shortfall of about 15GW in the U.S. alone by 2030.[1]

Accordingly, global big tech companies are expanding data center investment beyond the U.S. to locations around the world. In this context, Korea is drawing attention as an investment destination for global big tech companies’ AI data centers.

Korea holds strong competitiveness in core AI components such as high-bandwidth memory (HBM). It also has stable power supply conditions based on nuclear power and liquefied natural gas (LNG), along with GW-class infrastructure operating capabilities accumulated through operating semiconductor fabs, making it an attractive location for AI data centers.

Based on this solid demand and locational advantages, SKT plans to build AI data center capacity totaling 15GW.

First, starting with the AI data center currently under construction in Ulsan, SKT will build a cluster of over 2GW across the southeastern region (Gyeongsang), using it as a base to attract AI infrastructure demand from global big tech companies to Korea. It also plans to build an additional 1GW in the southwestern region (Jeolla), bringing its domestic AI data center capacity to a total of 5GW to be opened in stages starting in 2029.

To this end, SKT will pursue AI data center construction by considering various factors together — including site selection, power supply, and securing key anchor tenants — in connection with the government’s balanced regional development tasks and strategic supply plans.

SK Group brings together full-stack AI infrastructure capabilities; SKT to spearhead the overall project as AI Infrastructure Architect

AI data center infrastructure hinges on three core elements: semiconductors, energy solutions, and data center construction and operation capabilities. SK Group already holds these core capabilities across its affiliates. This project will bring together the Group’s full-stack AI infrastructure capabilities, with each affiliate contributing its own strengths.

In particular, SKT will take on the central role of leading the design, construction, and operation of the AI data centers. SKT has already been actively pursuing the AI data center business and has continued its cooperation with global big tech companies[2].  

At SK AI Summit 2025 last November, SKT President and CEO Jung Jai-hun unveiled the company’s AI infrastructure roadmap, stating that SKT would lead the evolution of AI infrastructure as the nation’s leading AI operator. He also presented a longer-term blueprint for expanding cooperation with global big tech companies and scaling up the Ulsan AI Data Center to a total of over 1GW.

More recently, SKT announced plans to operate an “AI Factory,” described as a next-generation AI data center. SKT plans to begin AI Factory operations in 2027 and expand it to GW scale going forward.

Korea’s Third National Infrastructure Revolution Following the Gyeongbu Expressway and High-Speed Internet

The AI industry expects that AI data centers will serve not only as a new growth engine for Korea, but also as a national strategic asset. In particular, it is expected that linking AI data centers with regional industries will contribute to balanced regional development.

The construction of a 15GW-scale AI data center is expected to serve as a springboard for Korea to become an AI infrastructure hub. SKT views AI data centers as Korea’s third innovative infrastructure, following the Gyeongbu Expressway (1968) and high-speed internet (1998), and intends to take a leading role in advancing it.

“This AI data center project is aimed at preemptively preparing the computing infrastructure that the global AI ecosystem needs,” said Jung Jai-hun, President and CEO of SKT. “We will work closely with the government, industry, and local communities to help Korea grow into Asia’s core AI infrastructure hub.”

About SK Telecom 

SK Telecom has been leading the growth of the mobile industry since 1984. Now, it is taking customer experience to new heights by extending beyond connectivity. By placing AI at the core of its business, SK Telecom is rapidly transforming into an AI company with a strong global presence. It is focusing on driving innovations in areas of AI Infrastructure, AI Transformation (AIX) and AI Service to deliver greater value for industry, society, and life. 

For more information, please visit our newsroom at https://news.sktelecom.com/en/ or our LinkedIn page at www.linkedin.com/company/sk-telecom.

Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: SK Telecom’s plans, objectives and expectations regarding the development, construction, financing and operation of AI data centers and AI infrastructure; the planned development of AI data center capacity, including the phased development of projects in Ulsan and other regions of Korea; anticipated project timing, financing arrangements and strategic partnerships; expectations regarding AI Factory deployment, AI infrastructure demand and Korea’s position as an AI infrastructure hub; and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different than expectations.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic and political conditions; customer demand for AI infrastructure and services; the availability and cost of financing, computing resources, semiconductors, power, networking capacity and data center infrastructure; changes in governmental policies, applicable laws and regulations; the ability to secure strategic partners and customers; technological developments and competition; supply chain disruptions; the ability of SK Telecom and its collaborators and partners to successfully implement the contemplated initiatives and realize anticipated benefits; and other factors detailed from time to time in reports filed or furnished by SK Telecom with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F.

These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by applicable law, SK Telecom undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

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SOURCE SK Telecom

Little Rock REALTOR® Ashley Watters of eXp Realty was featured as a primary expert source in Moneywise — a national personal finance publication with 250,000+ subscribers — quoted four times in a June 2026 article on remote homebuying and military relocation. Watters, who specializes in military relocation and VA home loans throughout Central Arkansas, provided expert guidance on agent selection, home inspection, virtual showings, and wire fraud protection during remote closings.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., July 4, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Ashley Watters, REALTOR® with eXp Realty and founder of ArkansasHouseSearch.com, was recently featured as a primary expert source in Moneywise, a leading national personal finance publication with more than 250,000 subscribers, in an article examining the growing practice of sight-unseen homebuying among military families across the United States.

Published June 2, 2026, and written by Senior Staff Reporter Mike Crisolago, the article explored how military families navigate remote home purchases during relocation — a topic in which Watters holds deep, hands-on expertise developed over more than two decades working in Central Arkansas real estate and mortgage. Watters was quoted four times throughout the piece, providing guidance on remote agent selection, home inspection standards, virtual showing best practices, and protecting buyers from wire fraud during the closing process.

“It’s actually very common, especially when the buyer is moving from several states away,” Watters told Moneywise. “The home search can sometimes take weeks or even months, making it unrealistic for buyers to travel back and forth in person.”

Watters noted that advances in technology have made remote homebuying significantly safer and more practical than in years past. “Improvements in technology, handheld devices and platforms like Zoom mean the risk has diminished significantly over the last several years,” she said.

On choosing the right professionals for a remote purchase, Watters advised that buyers treat their agent search with the same diligence as their home search. “Prepare a list of questions in advance and interview multiple agents to find the right fit,” she told Moneywise, adding that a quality home inspector is “equally important” as the agent — serving as the buyer’s “boots on the ground.”

Watters also addressed one of the most serious risks in remote transactions — wire fraud. “Scammers like to try and intercept transactions by sending fraudulent emails or making phone calls that redirect buyers to wire funds to the wrong account,” she warned. “Communicate only with the individuals and companies you have already vetted and independently verify all wiring instructions before sending any money.”

Watters serves buyers and sellers throughout Central Arkansas including Little Rock, Conway, Cabot, Maumelle, Greenbrier, Sherwood, Jacksonville, North Little Rock, Benton, and Bryant. She holds a dedicated specialty in military relocation and VA home loans, with particular focus on service members and families assigned to Little Rock Air Force Base. Watters holds a 5.0-star rating across 68+ verified client reviews and brings more than 20 years of combined real estate and mortgage industry experience to every transaction.

In addition to her Moneywise feature, Watters was recently named to Little Rock Soirée magazine’s Best Real Estate Agents of 2026 and AY Magazine’s Arkansas Best of 2026 in the Real Estate Agent category — making her one of the most recognized active REALTORS® in Central Arkansas this year.

To learn more or to connect with Ashley Watters, visit ArkansasHouseSearch.com or call (501) 951-9200.

Media Contact

Ashley Watters, ArkansasHouseSearch.com, 1 5019510306, mortgages11@gmail.com

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SOURCE ArkansasHouseSearch.com