South Korean telecom giant SK Telecom is implementing organizational changes at its newly launched AI division, AI CIC, just weeks after its official debut. Employees within the unit are being offered a voluntary retirement program as part of a broader effort to consolidate the company’s various AI initiatives under a single, streamlined structure. “In late September, SK Telecom announced the launch of the AI CIC (Company-in-Company) unit and confirmed that detailed organizational restructuring would be specified by the end of October,” a company spokesperson told TechCrunch. “This special retirement program is entirely a supportive measure and is not intended as a restructuring or downsizing measure.” The program is strictly voluntary and does not involve forced layoffs. It is designed to assist employees whose roles, departments, or work locations may be affected by the integration of AI-related teams. Staff who choose to remain with the company may be reassigned to regional offices or other departments. Details of the retirement package have been shared with employees across all experience levels, including both junior and senior personnel, according to industry sources. The AI CIC unit reportedly comprises around 1,000 employees. The new division was created to centralize SK Telecom’s AI operations, including its personal AI agent A. (pronounced “A-dot”), AI data center management, enterprise AI services, and global AI partnerships and investments. The goal is to eliminate redundancies and streamline overlapping functions, which may result in role transitions, organizational realignments, or relocations. Severance packages will vary based on tenure and position, though the company has not set internal targets for participation. “As participation is entirely voluntary, it is difficult at this stage to predict how many employees it may impact on the organization as a whole,” the spokesperson said. The restructuring is part of a larger strategy to enhance operational efficiency and accelerate AI innovation. SK Telecom aims for its AI division to generate ₩5 trillion ($3.5 billion) in annual revenue by 2030, driven by AI-powered consumer and business services, as well as supporting infrastructure. To support this vision, the company recently launched an AI infrastructure service offering Nvidia Blackwell GPUs on a subscription basis. Earlier this month, it also announced a partnership with OpenAI to build AI data centers in southwestern Korea as part of the ‘Stargate Korea’ initiative, further solidifying its commitment to becoming a major player in the AI ecosystem.