We recently compiled a list of the 13 AI News and Ratings Gaining Investor Attention.In this article, we are going to take a look at where SK Telecom Co., Ltd. (NYSE:SKM) stands against the other AI stocks.

As AI data centers expand, the need for reliable and scalable power sources is becoming a significant focus. Some of the major industries, including solar, natural gas, and battery storage, are expected to benefit from this transformation, with projections from experts showing that AI could significantly impact U.S. power consumption by 2030.

The Future of Energy in an AI-Powered World

At Bloomberg Invest 2025, Rob Barnett, Senior Energy Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, explored how solar, natural gas and battery storage could benefit from the $500 billion Stargate AI infrastructure proposal. He highlighted the growing energy demands of AI data centers, which could account for 8% to 19% of U.S. electricity consumption by 2030, depending on efficiency improvements in chips and algorithms. Barnett was initially skeptical of these projections, but his analysis ultimately confirmed that AI's energy needs are significant and will be an important factor in shaping future power demand.

Other than AI, other factors driving electricity consumption include the resurgence of U.S. manufacturing, supported by the Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS Act, and the continued adoption of electric vehicles. To meet this rising demand, solar power is expected to expand quickly due to its short construction timelines, which makes it an attractive option for AI-driven data centers that require quick deployment. However, because solar is intermittent, battery storage and natural gas will also play critical roles in balancing the grid. Barnett estimates that AI-related power demand alone could increase natural gas consumption by 3 to 10 billion cubic feet per day by 2030.

He added that nuclear energy has gained interest, with companies like Microsoft and Amazon securing agreements related to existing nuclear plants. However, large-scale new nuclear projects, including small modular reactors, are unlikely to contribute significantly before 2035. In the near term, the primary sources meeting the surge in electricity demand will be solar, battery storage, and natural gas, with wind energy playing a smaller role due to current policy and market dynamics.

For this article, we selected AI stocks by reviewing news articles, stock analysis, and press releases. We listed the stocks in ascending order of their hedge fund sentiment taken from Insider Monkey’s Q4 database of over 1000 hedge funds.

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At Insider Monkey we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).SK Telecom (SKM) Joins MIT GenAI Impact Consortium

A woman holding her mobile phone, showcasing the wireless voice transmission technology.

SK Telecom Co., Ltd. (NYSE:SKM)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 11

SK Telecom Co., Ltd. (NYSE:SKM) provides wireless, fixed-line, and digital services in South Korea, including telecommunications, media, and IoT solutions.

On March 4, SK Telecom Co., Ltd. (NYSE:SKM) announced its partnership with Giga Computing and SK Enmove to develop advanced liquid cooling solutions for AI data centers (AIDCs). The collaboration will focus on optimizing Direct Liquid Cooling, Immersion Liquid Cooling, and Precision Liquid Cooling while creating a liquid cooling package for GPU and NPU servers. Giga Computing will provide expertise in liquid cooling technology, while SK Enmove will supply specialized cooling fluids. SK Telecom aims to improve energy efficiency and reduce heat generation in data centers, strengthening its competitiveness in AIDC operations and supporting SK Group’s technological advancements.

Overall SKM ranks 10th on our list of the AI stocks that are gaining investor attention. While we acknowledge the potential of SKM as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than SKM but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and Complete List of 59 AI Companies Under $2 Billion in Market Cap

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.

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