SK Telecom Leads International Standardization of Robot Data Framework

SK Telecom (SKM) has advanced international technical standardization in the physical AI and robotics sector by proposing a unified framework for managing and utilizing robot motion data across diverse platforms.

The company announced that its Signalling Requirements and Architecture for Robot Data Factory (RDF) proposal was officially adopted as a new standardization work item at an International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

Robot motion data serves as training material for AI systems, but inconsistent formatting across manufacturers has hindered scalability and integration across hardware platforms.

SK Telecom's proposed Robot Data Factory architecture addresses these fragmentation challenges by dividing the ecosystem into five functional layers: Service, Robot Model and Data, Infrastructure, Device, and Management.

The layered specification defines roles and interworking structures between systems, enabling software functions and hardware components to be easily connected, replaced, or expanded across different robotic devices.

Building on its existing manufacturing digital twin platform, SK Telecom plans to launch a digital twin-based robot learning platform during the second half of 2026 to generate training data.

Choi Dong-hee, Head of AI Strategy Planning Office at SKT, stated:

"With the adoption of this new standardization work item, SKT has established a foundation for leading international standards discussions, leveraging the digital twin and AI capabilities it has accumulated in the Physical AI field. Going forward, building on our technological competitiveness spanning robot learning platforms and AI models, we will continue to spearhead international standardization in robotics."

Through this ITU-T initiative, SK Telecom intends to expand global collaboration with robotics developers, AI enterprises, and research institutions to foster an open and interoperable robot data ecosystem.