(Source: KT Corporation)

KT Corporation has unveiled an "AI-only" line service, offering bandwidth options of either 400 Gbit/s or 800 Gbit/s to support the large-volume data transfers required by AI data centers.

On Wednesday, South Korean telecom operators told local media that networks capable of reliably connecting AI data centers and handling large volumes of data are emerging as critical infrastructure as these centers become increasingly distributed across the country.

The new bandwidth capacity is up to eight times greater than the previous maximum of 100 Gbit/s. While 100 Gbit/s is sufficient for most enterprise needs, including data replication, video backhaul and standard cloud connectivity, it falls short of what is required for synchronizing distributed AI training runs across multiple AI data centers.

In essence, although the speed of data transfer remains the same, the increased bandwidth capacity is comparable to a one-lane street being widened into an eight-lane highway, enabling far greater volumes of traffic to flow simultaneously and preventing congestion.

This distinction is critical for infrastructure such as AI data centers. Training large language models requires moving massive, terabyte-sized datasets between clusters of GPUs. While upgrading to 800 Gbit/s does not make the first byte arrive any quicker, it drastically reduces the time taken to transfer large amounts of data by preventing network bottlenecks.

KT Corporation did not disclose pricing for its two-tiered dedicated AI line.

An all-photonic network architecture

The South Korean operator said it has implemented all-photonic network (APN) technology to improve the ultra-low latency of the new AI-only lines. APN technology minimizes conversions between optical and electrical signals along the data transmission path.

"Our infrastructure strengths, including nationwide optical cable coverage of 840,000 kilometers and diversified routes, allow us to design optimal shortest and dual paths between multiple data centers or sites, minimizing latency and ensuring stability," the company said as quoted by the Seoul Economic Daily.

Looking ahead, KT Corporation also said it intends to extend the use of its AI-only line to data center operators and enterprises developing large-scale AI infrastructure.