On Monday, Jensen Huang, NVIDIA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), concluded his visit to South Korea by forging an AI Factory alliance with SK Group, LG Group, Hyundai Motor Group, and Naver.
Huang has been credited with finalizing the blueprint for a Korean AI Alliance centered around NVIDIA, expanding collaboration beyond artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor supply chains to encompass AI infrastructure, physical AI, and cloud services.
The alliance aims to build a comprehensive AI infrastructure and physical AI partnership.
Huang’s day began with a whirlwind of visits to major Korean companies. While earlier meetings focused on relationship-building, this day’s agenda was laser-focused on achieving tangible business outcomes.
The collaboration with SK Group expanded beyond AI memory into the AI infrastructure sector. SK Hynix announced plans to strengthen its long-term technological partnership with NVIDIA, jointly developing next-generation memory for global AI factory construction.
The two companies agreed to co-develop memory for NVIDIA’s next-gen AI supercomputers and robotics platforms, while also expanding cooperation in semiconductor design automation (EDA) and digital twin-based manufacturing innovation. This partnership has evolved from a mere high-bandwidth memory (HBM) supply relationship into a strategic alliance focused on comprehensive AI infrastructure development.
Next, Huang visited LG Twin Towers, meeting with LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and top executives to discuss collaboration in physical AI, AI infrastructure, and mobility. LG Electronics plans to leverage NVIDIA’s robotics platform in developing humanoid and logistics robots, while LG CNS and LG Uplus will collaborate on building the AI factory.
In the afternoon, Huang met with Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun at their Yangjae headquarters. The companies agreed to expand collaboration in future mobility, including autonomous driving and robo-taxis, as well as robotics. Their goal is to merge Hyundai’s manufacturing and robotics platform capabilities with NVIDIA’s AI technology to drive next-gen manufacturing innovation.
Huang then visited Naver’s second office, 1784, in Seongnam, meeting with Board Chairman Lee Jae-sun. He expressed commitment to expanding AI infrastructure cooperation, stating that it will build a massive AI cloud for Korea and the world.
Discussions with Samsung Electronics followed, with Huang meeting Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun and other executives at Seoul’s Shilla Hotel. They discussed next-gen HBM supply and foundry collaboration. Jun later revealed they had broad discussions on HBM4E, HBM5, and next-gen foundry cooperation. Industry watchers are keen to see if Samsung will expand its role in NVIDIA’s supply chain beyond HBM4 to include HBM4E and HBM5.
Expanding Connections to Academia and Startups… Surveying the Korean AI landscape
Huang also engaged with students at Seoul National University about the future of AI. This direct outreach by a global AI industry leader comes amid fierce competition for AI talent.
Huang’s final schedule included discussions with Korean AI startups like Upstage, Nota, WeRobotics, and Aerobot. They reportedly explored technical validation using NVIDIA’s platform and strategies for global market entry. This move underscores NVIDIA’s commitment to fostering the AI startup ecosystem and accelerating the development of an NVIDIA-centric AI ecosystem.
Huang is set to depart on Tuesday, having embraced South Korea as a key partner in AI semiconductor production, data centers, cloud computing, robotics, and mobility.
