Nvidia expands partnerships across Korean industries

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, the dominant player in the global AI semiconductor market, met with executives from South Korea's leading corporations and startups in Taiwan to explore new opportunities for collaboration. The discussions highlighted Nvidia's push to extend its partnerships beyond AI chips into areas such as robotics, AI factories and gaming, broadening its reach across Korean industry.

On Monday local time, Huang hosted Nvidia's first-ever "Korea Partner Night" in Taipei, bringing together more than 80 representatives from South Korean companies. Executives from Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, LG, Naver Cloud and Doosan joined startup founders and industry leaders to discuss cooperation in emerging AI sectors. The gathering took place alongside the opening of Computex 2026, one of the world's premier information technology exhibitions.

Speaking with South Korean reporters at the event, Huang emphasized Korea's strategic importance to Nvidia. "Korea is a very important part of the Nvidia ecosystem," he said. "We're working closely with Korea in AI chips, robotics and AI factories, and there are many opportunities ahead for us to work together."

Huang also signaled interest in potential direct investment in South Korea. Praising the country's industrial foundation, he said Korea possesses "an outstanding ecosystem" and is home to "many exceptional companies." He singled out robotics as a key area for future collaboration, adding, "I hope we can contribute to the advancement of robotics in Korea."

During the dinner, Huang congratulated SK hynix on joining the ranks of companies with a market capitalization exceeding $1 trillion. "I'm extremely proud of them, and I'm delighted by their success," he said. Earlier in the day, he met with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won to discuss strengthening supply chain cooperation in next-generation AI infrastructure and expanding technological collaboration.

Huang is expected to visit South Korea on Friday for meetings in Seoul's Seongdong District with Chey, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin. According to industry sources, the executives are expected to gather for an informal dinner centered on samgyeopsal, or grilled pork belly.

He is also scheduled to meet NCSoft CEO Kim Taek-jin on Sunday. The two have maintained ties for more than two decades, dating back to 2003 when NCSoft's "Lineage II" and Nvidia's GeForce FX graphics processor were jointly optimized through a technology partnership.


이동훈 dhlee@donga.com