SK AX has partnered with KEPCO Engineering & Construction (KEPCO E&C) to drive artificial intelligence (AI) transformation in the power generation and energy sector. The company plans to boost power plant operational efficiency through AI, from plant design to maintenance, strengthening its ability to respond to surging energy demand.
SK AX said Tuesday it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with KEPCO E&C for cooperation on AI transformation (AX) in the power generation and energy industry at SK U-Tower in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. KEPCO E&C, Korea's only comprehensive power plant design institution, is pursuing AX innovation to respond to changes in future energy businesses such as small modular reactors (SMR) and renewable energy.
Through the agreement, the two companies will pursue AX innovation in stages, from back-office areas such as management administration to core business areas including power plant design and operation. To improve KEPCO E&C's company-wide work efficiency, SK AX plans to gradually introduce its core AX platforms, including "XGenetic Wire AiPMO" and "XGenetic Wire NPO Agent Builder." XGenetic Wire AiPMO is a comprehensive project management AX platform that uses AI to support the entire process of executing power generation and energy projects, covering proposals, initiation, schedule and cost management, risk inspection, and performance management. AI analyzes each project's deliverables and key issues to grasp progress, and it inspects the possibility of schedule delays and major risks in advance, which can improve project operational efficiency and return on investment.
XGenetic Wire NPO Agent Builder is a no-code AI agent development platform that supports frontline employees in directly creating and using AI agents needed in their work. It assigns repetitive and time-consuming tasks—such as searching and summarizing technical documents, inspecting project issues, and supporting design document reviews—to AI agents, boosting productivity while allowing people to focus on higher-value work.
The two companies will jointly identify AI application tasks specialized for the power generation and energy industry, and pursue AI-based innovation across all areas from design to operation and maintenance (O&M), including optimal offshore wind design and the development of AI smart control systems. They plan to jointly develop an "offshore wind O&M platform" that supports power generation forecasting, predictive maintenance, and asset management, and to commercialize it for both domestic offshore wind projects and global projects.
"The power generation and energy industry is a field where demand for AI innovation is rapidly expanding, from design to operation and maintenance," said Kim Wan-jong, president of SK AX. "Through this cooperation, we will connect it to an AI augmentation system that creates tangible results across the processes, operating systems, and governance of the power generation and energy industry."
Kim Tae-kyun, president of KEPCO E&C, said, "AX is now not a choice but an essential task in the power generation industry and engineering fields, and it is time to create innovation that provides real help to the field and frontline work." He added, "By combining KEPCO E&C's world-class expertise with SK AX's AI technology capabilities, we will present a new innovation standard for the future power generation industry."
