Nvidia CEO Huang to unveil Korea partnerships at APEC

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said he plans to strengthen partnerships with South Korean companies ahead of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit.

Speaking at Nvidia’s developer conference in Washington on Oct. 28, Huang called Korean companies “great partners” and said an upcoming announcement would please both Koreans and U.S. President Donald Trump. He mentioned Samsung Electronics and SK Group, noting the details would be revealed in a few days. Since Huang will attend the APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, on Oct. 31, observers expect a surprise announcement at the summit.

Industry officials say the announcement is likely to focus on strengthening a private semiconductor alliance between South Korea and the United States. Cooperation could include Nvidia supplying its artificial intelligence chips to Korean firms while sourcing high-bandwidth memory, DRAM, and NAND flash from Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Given Nvidia’s partnership with Hyundai Motor on AI humanoids, analysts also expect expanded collaboration in robotics.

Bloomberg and other international media reported that Huang may announce new GPU supply agreements with major Korean firms, including Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, during his visit. Bloomberg added that such deals would help Nvidia expand its market reach while access to China remains limited.

Before attending Nvidia’s 25th anniversary event for the GeForce graphics card launch at COEX in Seoul’s Gangnam district on Oct. 30, Huang is scheduled to meet Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Eui-sun. He will deliver a keynote at the APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju on Oct. 31.


이동훈 dhlee@donga.com