Samsung, SK hynix discuss AI chip supply with NVIDIA

At the "South Korea-U.S. Business Roundtable" held immediately after the South Korea-U.S. summit in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 25, officials discussed a plan for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to supply semiconductor chips optimized for NVIDIA’s supercomputers.

“We reaffirmed the potential for cooperation and mutual complementarity between the two countries in the artificial intelligence competition,” Kim Yong-beom, director of policy at the Presidential Office, said at a briefing on the event.

The roundtable highlighted a strong atmosphere of collaboration between South Korean and U.S. semiconductor companies. A symbolic moment occurred when Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and NVIDIA Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang embraced each other. The scene fueled expectations in the semiconductor industry that Samsung’s high-bandwidth memory shipments to NVIDIA could be imminent.

However, the event did not present concrete plans for cooperation between the two countries’ semiconductor companies, including additional investment in Samsung’s Texas semiconductor plant in Taylor. CEO Jensen Huang also held discussions with President Lee Jae-myung and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won.

“The South Korea-U.S. semiconductor supply chain is a symbiotic structure based on each other’s strengths,” President Lee said at the event. “Going forward, South Korean companies such as SK and Samsung plan to build manufacturing facilities in the United States, including packaging and foundry fabs. As a result, the United States will become a key hub in the semiconductor supply chain.”


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