Nvidia and SK hynix forge multi-year AI memory deal as chip bottleneck intensifies

Nvidia and SK hynix ink multi-year memory co-development and supply agreement -- seeks to address extended development cycles

Nvidia and SK hynix have inked a multi-year collaboration agreement under which the companies will co-develop next-generation memory technologies for Nvidia's upcoming platforms, and SK hynix will supply them to Nvidia. The deal is designed to ensure that Nvidia will get the memory it needs from a prominent supplier and will guarantee that SK hynix will be able to sell its output in a predictable manner. The key part of the agreement is indeed the co-development of advanced memory products designed for Nvidia's future platforms. Currently, Nvidia uses HBM, LPDDR5X, DDR5, and 3D NAND memory in various systems, so going forward, SK hynix will develop its new memory with Nvidia in mind. The joint press release says nothing about customization of memory for Nvidia, and while we cannot exclude such a possibility, it looks like the companies will continue to co-develop industry-standard solutions, but will ensure that they are compatible with Nvidia's processors. In addition, the agreement is intended to address the increasingly long lead times and massive capital expenditures required for the production of advanced types of memory. The two companies will coordinate roadmaps over multiple years. Nvidia will gain greater visibility into future memory availability, while SK hynix secures a guaranteed role in Nvidia's next-generation platforms (i.e., guaranteed demand). The initial part of the cooperation covers memory destined for NVIDIA Vera Rubin AI systems (HBM4, LPDDR5X, 3D NAND), standalone Vera processors (LPDDR5X), RTX Spark-powered personal computers (LPDDR5X, 3D NAND), and Jetson Thor robotic computing systems (LPDDR5X, 3D NAND). The deal also extends to semiconductor research and design. SK hynix is deploying Nvidia's CUDA-X libraries to speed up complex chip development workloads, such as technology computer-aided design (TCAD) and computational lithography (CuLitho). In addition, the memory maker is adopting Nvidia PhysicsNeMo to accelerate proprietary simulation software as well as AI-driven physics models used during semiconductor development. In addition, the companies see an opportunity to expand these capabilities into general electronic design automation (EDA) and simulation ecosystems and potentially create tighter relationships within the industry. Last but not least, SK hynix is creating digital twins of its semiconductor fabs using Nvidia Omniverse and OpenUSD technologies. These virtual facilities enable engineers to model production lines, test changes, and optimize operations before making adjustments in real fabs. The company also plans to use Nvidia's cuOpt and Metropolis platforms to improve the movement of autonomous robots and other factory equipment. In the future, SK hynix aims to connect these digital twins with existing manufacturing software and AI systems and enable them to analyze fab data, automate routine tasks, and help make production decisions. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.

SK Hynix announces multi-year tech deal with Nvidia for AI factories

SEOUL, June 8 (Reuters) - SK Hynix (000660.KS), opens new tab on Monday announced a multi-year technology partnership with Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab, saying the deal would advance next-generation memory for ⁠global AI data centres. The South Korean memory chipmaker said it would enter new AI fields via the partnership, such as personal ⁠AI and physical AI, and that the deal would help ⁠maintain a stable supply of memory despite advanced ⁠memory's long development cycles. Reporting by ⁠Heekyong Yang, Jack Kim and Brenda Goh; Editing by Tom Hogue Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Nvidia and SK Hynix seal multi-year HBM4 AI memory deal

Nvidia and SK Hynix signed a multi-year co-development deal for next-generation AI memory, covering HBM4 and Vera Rubin. SK Hynix holds an estimated 60-70% of HBM4 volume for Vera Rubin, cementing its lead over Samsung and Micron. Nvidia and SK Hynix have signed a multi-year agreement covering both the design and manufacture of next-generation memory chips for AI. The deal, announced on Sunday during Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's tour of South Korea, gives SK Hynix a formal co-development role in the high-bandwidth memory that will power Nvidia's most advanced accelerators, starting with the Vera Rubin platform now entering full production. The agreement arrives at a moment when memory, not GPUs, has become the binding constraint on AI infrastructure expansion. Arm CEO Rene Haas said last week that memory is "probably the toughest" bottleneck the industry has to resolve. Nvidia is trying to fix that by locking in its supply chain years in advance. What the deal covers The partnership extends beyond a standard supply agreement. Nvidia and SK Hynix will co-develop next-generation memory for what Nvidia calls "AI factories," the large-scale data centre clusters used for training and inference. The scope covers infrastructure, physical AI, and memory specifically designed for Vera Rubin, Nvidia's most powerful accelerator platform. Vera Rubin is built around clusters of Vera central processing units and Rubin graphics cores, allied with terabytes of HBM4 in each server system. It delivers reportedly 3.5 times the training performance and five times the inference performance of its Blackwell predecessor. Shipments are expected to begin in Q3 2026, with over 350 supply chain partners across 30 countries involved in production. "Together, we will co-develop the next generation of memory for AI factories and support the accelerating global expansion of AI infrastructure," Huang said in a statement. The HBM4 race Huang confirmed for the first time last week at Computex in Taipei that all three major memory manufacturers, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, have been cleared to supply HBM4 for Vera Rubin. But the multi-year co-development pact with SK Hynix signals a deeper relationship than a standard vendor qualification. Industry analysts estimate SK Hynix holds roughly 60% to 70% of HBM4 volume allocated to Vera Rubin, with Samsung at approximately 25% to 30% and Micron supplying the remainder. The new agreement makes SK Hynix's position more durable. Long-term supply commitments make it easier for the company to expand capacity and gradually increase market share. The competition between the three is fierce. Memory chip stocks have rocketed over the past year on surging prices, and all three firms are racing to deliver 16-layer HBM stacks that Nvidia has reportedly requested for delivery as early as late 2026. Huang's Seoul tour The SK Hynix deal was part of a broader series of announcements during Huang's high-profile visit to South Korea. Nvidia also announced that SK Telecom will build a new gigawatt-scale AI cloud powered by Nvidia chips, with the first data centre coming online early next year. Naver, Korea's dominant internet platform, will use Nvidia's AI models to expand its data centre capacity and build additional gigawatt-scale AI factories. Doosan Group will use Nvidia's physical AI technology to power its industrial robotics. Huang threw the ceremonial first pitch at a Korean Baseball Organisation game between the Kiwoom Heroes and Doosan Bears on Saturday, dined with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, and visited gaming studios Krafton and NC Corp to promote adoption of Nvidia's RTX Spark chip, its new entry into the PC market. The pattern mirrors Nvidia's approach across Asia. At Computex in Taipei, Huang announced the Cosmos Coalition, new partnerships with Chinese robotics firms, and the launch of Cosmos 3. In Seoul, the focus shifted to memory and infrastructure. The message is consistent: Nvidia is building an ecosystem, not just selling chips, and it is doing so country by country. Why memory matters more than GPUs right now The AI industry's demand for compute is well documented. Less discussed is the memory wall. Each Vera Rubin NVL72 configuration connects 36 CPUs and 72 GPUs, and the entire system requires terabytes of HBM4. Advanced packaging technology, specifically TSMC's CoWoS process that integrates GPU dies with HBM into a single package, is a key constraint. Memory supply, not silicon fabrication, is now the pacing factor for how fast Nvidia can ship its highest-end systems. Haas's comment about memory being the toughest bottleneck reflects a structural shortage that analysts at TrendForce have described as a "memory supercycle." HBM capacity is projected to remain tight through at least 2028, and some forecasts extend the constraint to 2030. For Nvidia, locking SK Hynix into a multi-year co-development deal is not just about securing supply. It is about ensuring the supply exists at all.

NVIDIA, KRAFTON, NC and Reigning 'League of Legends' Champions T1 Celebrate RTX Spark at Korea's PC Bangs

At GTC Taipei at COMPUTEX last week, NVIDIA unveiled RTX Spark, the superchip that reinvents Windows PCs for the era of personal AI agents. On the heels of this announcement, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang headed to South Korea, where he introduced RTX Spark to the nation's passionate gaming community. Leading game developers -- including Korea's KRAFTON and NC -- are already working to bring their titles to RTX Spark-powered systems. Designed for local AI, creating and gaming, RTX Spark brings together 30 years of NVIDIA innovation to slim Windows laptops with all-day battery life and small, ultraefficient desktop PCs. With the superchip, gamers can play AAA games at 1440p resolution and over 100 frames per second with NVIDIA ray tracing, DLSS and Reflex technologies. In addition, RTX Spark supports all NVIDIA RTX technologies, including the recently announced DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction, which features a second-generation transformer model for realistic image quality. RTX Spark Ignites Korea's Gaming Community Korea has played a major role in spearheading esports and driving the boom in PC bangs, or internet and gaming cafes. With longstanding collaborations rooted in the country, NVIDIA in October celebrated 25 years of GeForce in Korea with a free festival for gamers, highlighting the rich gaming ecosystem that has been built over decades. On Friday, Huang headed to T1 Base Camp -- a PC bang owned by T1, one of Korea's top esports teams. There, he met with T1's reigning League of Legends World Champion team, including six-time World Champion Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok to unveil RTX Spark. NVIDIA and Riot Games -- developer of League of Legends -- are collaborating to bring the title as well as VALORANT to RTX Spark, expanding gamers' access to high-performance gaming on slim laptops. To mark the occasion, T1 Base Camp attendees had the chance to win RTX Spark laptops, League of Legends and T1 merch signed by Huang and Faker, as well as GeForce RTX 5090 GPUs. Surprising PC-Bang Gamers Later, Huang headed to Seoul's Gangnam district, where he surprised PC-bang gamers with a first look at RTX Spark with KRAFTON and NC. At the first stop, Optimum Zone PC, Huang and KRAFTON Chairman Byung-gyu Chang showcased PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS and Subnautica 2 on RTX Spark to a captivated crowd of gamers. Gamers then got the surprise chance to play with the unreleased PUBG Ally, a co-playable character built with NVIDIA ACE technologies on RTX Spark laptops. PUBG Ally resulted from AI research and development at KRAFTON and NVIDIA, part of an initiative to create next-generation game characters that act like teammates and enable more meaningful, immersive engagements with players. Next, Huang stopped at another PC bang, Portal PC, where he showcased NC's CINDER CITY and AION 2 on RTX Spark, with support from Taekjin Kim, co-CEO of NC. NC and NVIDIA began working together in the early 2000s on the Lineage franchise and have since collaborated to integrate RTX technology into many of NC's flagship games, including Lineage 2, AION, Blade & Soul, AION 2 and CINDER CITY. Gamers at Portal PC were given the chance to play a demo of NC's highly anticipated open-world massively multiplayer online tactical shooter CINDER CITY on GeForce RTX-powered PCs. CINDER CITY will support the DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation and Super Resolution features at launch. Plus, gamers will be able to experience the title on slim RTX Spark laptops and compact desktops when the game is released later this year. In addition to KRAFTON, NC, and Riot Games, 100+ Windows software providers and game developers are embracing RTX Spark. These partners include NetEase, Remedy Entertainment and XBOX. Learn more about RTX Spark and its launch partners.

Nvidia CEO sees robotics as next major sector in South Korea

GIMPO, South Korea, June 5 (Reuters) - Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab CEO Jensen Huang said on Friday that he sees robotics as the next major sector in South Korea. He was talking to reporters after arriving at Gimpo airport in South Korea on a flight from Taiwan. "Korea has many sectors to invest in. Robotics ⁠is going to be the next major sector here in Korea," he said. Huang said he had meetings scheduled with Hyundai, LG, SK, Samsung and Naver during his trip. "Did I bring any gifts for Korea? I brought a lot of business for Korea," he told reporters, adding: "I have some ⁠surprises." He said Nvidia will partner with Korea's manufacturing firms in robotics and AI. "Because Korea is a manufacturing centre of the world, we can apply the ⁠robotics technology, the physical AI technology that we invent here for the industry," he said. "The manufacturing of semiconductors ⁠will become increasingly robotics and increasingly AI driven in the future, and so we have ⁠a great opportunity to partner with the semiconductor companies here as well." Reporting by Minwoo Park, Hyunjoo Jin and Joyce Lee Editing by Ed Davies Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Nvidia's Jensen Huang flags robotics as Korea's next growth engine

Nvidia's chief executive arrived for a four-day visit pitching robotics and physical AI, and looking past the memory chips that already bind the company to Korea. Jensen Huang made the pitch before he had left the airport. Arriving at Gimpo for a four-day visit to Seoul, the Nvidia chief executive told reporters that "robotics is going to be the next major sector here in Korea," framing the country's manufacturing depth as the reason it is well placed to lead in AI-driven automation. The line set the theme for a trip designed to push Nvidia's relationship with Korea past the memory chips it already depends on. The visit was as much performance as business. Huang's schedule mixed executive meetings with a television talk-show slot and baseball appearances, a charm offensive in a country that supplies the high-bandwidth memory Nvidia's accelerators cannot ship without. The substance underneath the spectacle was a list of areas where Nvidia wants deeper Korean ties: high-bandwidth memory, AI data centres, autonomous driving, robotics, and physical AI. Robotics was the one he chose to headline. South Korea's strength across manufacturing and technology, Huang argued, positions it to scale the kind of AI-driven automation Nvidia is now selling as physical AI, the application of its models to machines that move and act in the world rather than software that runs in a data centre. For a company whose growth has been defined by training and inference, robotics is the next surface it wants its chips underneath. The robotics pitch also reflects where Nvidia sees its own next leg of growth. Having saturated the market for training accelerators, the company has increasingly talked up physical AI as the frontier that comes after, machines in factories, warehouses, and vehicles that need the same kind of compute the data centre consumes, only embodied. Korea, with its concentration of manufacturers and its appetite for automation, is the kind of market where that thesis either proves out or stalls. The meetings were arranged to match. Huang was set to meet executives from the gaming company Krafton, including chairman Chang Byung-gyu and senior AI leadership, to discuss collaboration in physical AI, humanoid robotics, and AI-powered gaming, an agenda that signalled Nvidia's interest in Korean partners well beyond the chipmakers that have historically defined the relationship. The backdrop is a mutual dependency Nvidia is trying to broaden. Korea's memory giants are central to Nvidia's supply chain, and Nvidia's demand has been central to their AI-era results. By talking up robotics and physical AI, Huang is sketching a version of the partnership that runs in both directions and across more sectors, rather than resting on the single, if enormous, business of selling memory into his accelerators. Whether the robotics framing turns into deals is the part the trip did not settle. A chief executive calling a sector the next big thing during an airport doorstep is a statement of intent, not a contract. But Huang's itinerary, heavy on partners outside the memory business, suggested Nvidia is serious about where it thinks Korean industrial strength meets its own roadmap. The pitch has been made. The orders, if they come, come later.

NVIDIA and SK hynix Announce Multiyear Technology Partnership to Advance Memory for AI Factories

Collaboration Supports Next-Generation Memory Codevelopment With NVIDIA's AI Infrastructure Roadmap and Expands Supply for the Accelerating Global AI Factory Buildout * NVIDIA and SK hynix announce multiyear technology partnership for next-generation memory aligned to NVIDIA's AI infrastructure roadmap. * The agreement supports supply for advanced memory, addressing the extended development cycles, advanced fabrication and capital investments to sustain the global buildout of AI factories. * SK hynix will diversify into new markets NVIDIA is creating -- across AI infrastructure, personal AI and physical AI -- codeveloping memory for NVIDIA Vera Rubin AI supercomputers, Vera CPUs, RTX Spark-powered PCs and Jetson Thor robotic computing platforms. * The two companies will apply AI to semiconductor chip design and manufacturing, using NVIDIA CUDA-X libraries and NVIDIA PhysicsNeMo to accelerate semiconductor simulations, TCAD workflows and in-house engineering codes. * SK hynix will advance factory digital twins by combining NVIDIA Omniverse, OpenUSD scene optimization and NVIDIA cuOpt to drive fully autonomous fab operations. NVIDIA and SK hynix today announced a multiyear technology partnership to advance next-generation memory for the global AI factory buildout and accelerate semiconductor design and manufacturing. The agreement builds on years of deep co-engineering collaboration that has powered some of the world's most advanced AI computing platforms. "AI factories are the engines of the next industrial revolution, and advanced memory is essential to their performance," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. "SK hynix has been an extraordinary partner to NVIDIA, playing a central role in delivering advanced memory technologies for NVIDIA AI computing platforms. Together, we will codevelop the next generation of memory for AI factories and support the accelerating global expansion of AI infrastructure -- from frontier model training to agentic and physical AI." "SK hynix and NVIDIA have been building toward this for years, and this partnership reflects the depth of that collaboration," said Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group. "Together, we are codeveloping the next generation of memory for AI factories and applying AI to how we design and manufacture semiconductors -- work that will shape the future of AI infrastructure." The multiyear agreement supports supply to address the extended development cycles of advanced memory. As AI factories scale globally, this strategic partnership enables memory supply to keep pace with NVIDIA's infrastructure roadmap and the sustained buildout of AI infrastructure worldwide. Through this partnership, SK hynix will diversify into new markets NVIDIA is creating -- spanning AI infrastructure, personal AI and physical AI -- codeveloping memory for NVIDIA Vera Rubin AI supercomputers, NVIDIA Vera CPUs, NVIDIA RTX Spark™-powered PCs and NVIDIA Jetson Thor™ robotic computing platforms. Accelerating Technology Computer-Aided Design and Semiconductor Simulation SK hynix is using NVIDIA CUDA-X™ libraries and AI to speed semiconductor simulation, including technology computer-aided design and computational lithography workflows. SK hynix is also using CUDA-X and the NVIDIA PhysicsNeMo™ framework to deliver core-workload acceleration across its in-house simulation codes and AI physics workflows. By extending these tools to the semiconductor electronic design automation and simulation ecosystems, this initiative paves the way for three-way collaborations among chipmakers, NVIDIA and electronic design automation software vendors. Advancing Fab Digital Twins for Autonomous Manufacturing SK hynix is developing fab digital twins as a foundation for autonomous fab operations. Teams can use scene optimization technologies, as well as NVIDIA Omniverse™ libraries and OpenUSD pipelines, to build 3D factory scenes for visualizing, simulating and optimizing complex semiconductor manufacturing environments. These digital twins can also support operational optimization, including the movement of autonomous mobile robots and other fab assets, using the open source, GPU-accelerated NVIDIA cuOpt™ decision optimization engine and the NVIDIA Metropolis platform. The companies are also exploring ways to connect digital twins with existing legacy software and agentic AI workflows, enabling AI systems to reason over fab data, automate tasks and improve manufacturing decision-making.

Nvidia's CEO says new Vera chip will use SK Hynix's memory chips | Fortune

"We had a very big year this year with SK Hynix, and we are preparing for a very, very large second half of the year and next year," Huang told reporters outside a Seoul restaurant on Sunday where he had dinner with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, SK Hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung and executives from SK Telecom Co. "We introduced Vera CPU, which is a revolutionary CPU, and it will also use SK Hynix's DRAM." Vera is Nvidia's first standalone data center microprocessor that goes head to head with Intel Corp.'s Xeon line, Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s Epyc chips and in-house programs at large-scale operators such as Amazon.com Inc.'s Graviton. Huang arrived in South Korea on Friday to visit his partners and suppliers and is scheduled to meet Samsung Electronics Co. Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun, as well as the heads of [hotlink]Hyundai Motor[/hotlink] Group and LG Group among other business leaders on Monday. Huang also said he's having discussions with telecommunication companies because telco networks will be used for AI in the future.

Nvidia unveils AI infrastructure deals in South Korea

Seoul (AFP) - US chip titan Nvidia on Monday announced a large-scale data centre construction project in South Korea with SK Telecom, among a raft of other business deals in the country. Nvidia, the world's most valuable company, also said it would work with chipmaker SK hynix to develop the advanced memory components that help run AI systems and are currently in short supply. The tie-ups were unveiled after CEO Jensen Huang spent the weekend eating barbecue in Seoul with the country's tech leaders and appearing on a popular TV show. SK Telecom and Nvidia plan "to build a gigawatt-scale AI Cloud in Korea... with the first AI factory planned to come online in 2027", a joint statement said. The project "will support sovereign, physical and agentic AI services for enterprises and industries across Korea, with the vision to expand to greater Asia regions", it added. No figure was given for how much the two companies will invest in the data centres. SK Telecom operates under the same parent company -- SK Group -- as SK hynix, which on Monday announced a "multi-year technology partnership" for memory chips with Nvidia. "The agreement supports supply for advanced memory, addressing the extended development cycles, advanced fabrication and capital investments to sustain the global buildout of AI factories," their statement said. "Through this partnership, SK hynix will diversify into new markets Nvidia is creating -- spanning AI infrastructure, personal AI and physical AI," through co-developing memory components for Nvidia hardware, it said. As governments and companies pour hundreds of billions of dollars into AI infrastructure, Nvidia's value has topped $5 trillion, more than the gross domestic product of Japan or India. 'Please make more' The race to build AI data centres has created a global shortage of memory chips -- sending profits skyrocking for manufacturers like SK hynix and rival Samsung Electronics, whose workers' union recently agreed a deal with management on bonuses, averting a strike. SK Group chair Chey Tae-won last week vowed to double production capacity of silicon wafers used to make memory chips. But he also reiterated his prediction that shortages could persist until 2030, with chip factories taking at least three years to build. Nvidia's Huang signed a memory chip display at the SK hynix booth at the Computex trade show in Taipei, writing: "Please make more". When he landed in South Korea on Friday, Huang said he had "brought a lot of business to Korea", promising some new "surprises". On Monday the California-based company also announced AI-related collaborations with tech giant Naver, and with Doosan Group on robotics. Nvidia is best known for its GPUs, specialised computer chips originally designed to render video game graphics at high speed. These chips have become the engine behind AI tools from chatbots to image generators and agents that can carry out tasks for users. Nvidia last week unveiled a powerful laptop chip for Windows machines, staking its claim in the market for next-generation consumer PCs integrated with AI.

Nvidia partners with South Korea's SK Hynix, Naver and Doosan to expand the country's AI infrastructure

Nvidia partners with South Korea's SK Hynix, Naver and Doosan to expand the country's AI infrastructure Artificial intelligence chipmaker Nvidia Corp. today announced a slate of new partnerships with some of South Korea's biggest technology, including the memory chip supplier SK Hynix Inc., internet giant Naver Corp. and the multinational conglomerate Doosan Group. The deals came during a high-profile trip by Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang to the country. He arrived on Friday, and has spent the weekend eating fried chicken with some of South Korea's most renowned corporate leaders, meeting a well-known eSports video gamer and watching a local baseball game where he had the honor of throwing a pitch. SK Hynix said it has signed a multiyear technology partnership with Nvidia that's focused on advancing the next-generation of memory chips for use in massive AI data centers. As part of the agreement, it will work with Nvidia to ensure a stable supply of advanced memory for the AI industry. In addition, it will also try to expand its presence into adjacent segments of the AI industry, such as personal AI and physical AI, which is a term that's used to describe intelligent, autonomous robots and vehicles. Huang said in a statement that a sustainable supply of memory is essential for building "AI factories" that will power the new AI-led industrial revolution. "Advanced memory is at the core of their performance," he explained. "By jointly developing next-generation memory for AI factories, we will accelerate the expansion of global AI infrastructure, from frontier model training to agentic AI and physical AI." The two partners also want to cooperate on the "simulation technology" that's required for semiconductor development. SK Hynix will utilize Nvidia's CUDA-X library and its PhysicsNeMo framework to enhance the speed and efficiency of the simulations it runs to develop and manufacture more advanced chips. This includes technology computer-aided design for analyzing semiconductor process characteristics and computational lithography technologies for implementing chip circuits. In addition, SK Hynix's sister company SK Telecom will build a new gigawatt-scale AI cloud in South Korea that's going to be powered by Nvidia's AI chips and infrastructure. The first of a number of AI data centers in that cloud is slated to come online early next year. Meanwhile, Nvidia is cooperating with Naver and Doosan on additional AI data center projects, it said in separate announcements. In the case of Naver, the collaboration will kick off at its data center in Gak Sejong, where it already operates AI infrastructure. The companies will work to expand the capacity of that facility and later also build additional gigawatt-scale AI factories, although the plans are dependent on Naver's future capacity procurement and also the availability of power supplies, they said. As for Doosan, which is developing intelligent robotics and also makes components for Nvidia's graphics processing units, it's planning several ventures with Nvidia. For instance, the U.S. chipmaker plans to use its energy solutions in its data center platforms. Meanwhile Doosan will utilize Nvidia's physical AI technology to power its robots. The partnerships should help to expand Nvidia's presence in South Korea, which is one of the world's major technology manufacturing powerhouses, home to massive chip, electronics, car and ship-making industries. SK Hynix and its rival Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. are two of the world's three biggest makers of memory chips, which are vital components for AI data centers.

Nvidia locks in its most critical AI supplier years before the next chip battle begins

Nvidia has signed a multi-year agreement with SK Hynix to co-develop and manufacture next-generation AI memory, strengthening its position ahead of the launch of the Vera Rubin platform. The deal gives SK Hynix a deeper role in Nvidia's future roadmap and highlights how memory has become one of the most important constraints in the AI industry. The partnership goes beyond a traditional supplier relationship. Nvidia and SK Hynix will work together on future high-bandwidth memory technologies designed for large-scale AI infrastructure, including the systems that will power upcoming AI factories and data centers. Memory has become the biggest challenge in AI infrastructure While GPUs have traditionally received most of the attention in the AI race, memory is increasingly emerging as the industry's most significant bottleneck. Modern AI systems require enormous amounts of high-bandwidth memory to feed increasingly powerful processors. Nvidia's Vera Rubin platform is expected to rely heavily on HBM4 memory. Industry estimates suggest that SK Hynix could supply between 60% and 70% of the HBM4 volume allocated to Vera Rubin systems, placing the company ahead of Samsung and Micron in the race to support Nvidia's next generation of AI hardware. The agreement also gives SK Hynix greater certainty to expand production capacity as demand for advanced memory continues to rise. Analysts expect HBM supply constraints to remain a major challenge for the industry for several more years. Nvidia recently confirmed that Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron have all qualified to supply HBM4 memory for Vera Rubin. However, the new co-development agreement signals a closer strategic relationship between Nvidia and SK Hynix than a standard vendor arrangement. The announcement came during Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's visit to South Korea, where the company also unveiled new partnerships focused on AI infrastructure, cloud computing and industrial automation. As AI systems continue to grow in scale, securing access to advanced memory is becoming just as important as developing faster processors. Nvidia's latest move suggests the company is preparing for that reality years before its next generation of AI platforms reaches full deployment.

Nvidia Expands AI Empire In South Korea With SK Hynix, SK Telecom And Naver Deals As Jensen Huang Locks I

Nvidia Strengthens AI Supply Chain With SK Hynix Partnership The chip giant announced a multi-year technology partnership with memory maker SK Hynix, reinforcing access to high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, a key component powering advanced AI systems. Speaking after meeting SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang highlighted the importance of the relationship. "SK Hynix has been Nvidia's largest memory partner. SK Hynix will continue to be Nvidia's largest memory partner," Huang said, Reuters reported. Huang added that Nvidia already buys "billions and billions of dollars each year" worth of products from SK Hynix and expects that spending to increase significantly. The agreement comes as memory suppliers race to keep pace with soaring AI demand, and as Nvidia expands beyond GPUs into robotics, AI PCs and supercomputing. AI Data Centers Become The Next Battleground SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM) said it plans to build a gigawatt-scale AI cloud infrastructure platform using Nvidia technology, with its first AI data center expected to launch in 2027. Meanwhile, internet giant Naver and industrial conglomerate Doosan said they would use Nvidia technology to support AI data center expansion and industrial AI applications. Doosan also expects its energy solutions and robotics initiatives to integrate with Nvidia's physical AI technologies. Jensen Huang Brushes Off Chip Market Fears When asked about the semiconductor selloff, Huang dismissed concerns, the report noted. "Everybody should be very excited; they can now buy stock at a cheaper price," he said, adding that "the future of AI is very bright." Price Action: Shares of Nvidia closed Friday down 6.2% at $205.10 and declined another 0.52% to $204.04 in after-hours trading, according to Benzinga Pro. Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings place NVDA in the 98th percentile for Growth, highlighting its strong performance across short, medium and long-term periods. Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Photo Courtesy: FotoField on Shutterstock.com Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.

NVIDIA & SK Hynix Sign Blockbuster "Multi-Year Technology" Partnership: Will Co-Develop Next-Gen Memory For AI Factories

NVIDIA has announced a multi-year technology partnership with SK Hynix in co-developing next-gen memory for AI infrastructure. NVIDIA Jensen Huang Lands In Korea After His Action-Packed Taiwan Visit, Announces Key Partnerships With SK Hynix NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang was once again treated like a superstar at this year's Computex in Taipei, Taiwan. The energy that Jensen carried along with him was unmatched, and showed why every major partner wanted to see Jensen visit their company's booth at the showfloor. Now, after his action-packed Taipei visit, Jensen decided to make a stop in Korea to meet one of his biggest ecosystem partners, SK Hynix. The collaboration between NVIDIA and SK Hynix is deeply rooted, since they provide Jensen with the latest and greatest memory innovations. During his latest visit, both companies announced another blockbuster partnership, which involves a multi-year technology road-map. Under this partnership, both companies will be collaborating to bring next-gen memory solutions across AI factories. The following is the full summary of the announcements: * NVIDIA and SK hynix announce multiyear technology partnership for next-generation memory aligned to NVIDIA's AI infrastructure roadmap. * The agreement supports supply for advanced memory, addressing the extended development cycles, advanced fabrication, and capital investments to sustain the global buildout of AI factories. * SK hynix will diversify into new markets NVIDIA is creating -- across AI infrastructure, personal AI, and physical AI -- codeveloping memory for Vera Rubin AI supercomputers, Vera CPUs, RTX Spark-powered PCs, and Jetson Thor robotic computing platforms. * The two companies will apply AI to semiconductor chip design and manufacturing, using NVIDIA CUDA-X libraries and NVIDIA PhysicsNeMo to accelerate semiconductor simulations, TCAD workflows, and in-house engineering codes. * SK hynix will advance factory digital twins by combining Omniverse, OpenUSD scene optimization, and cuOpt to drive fully autonomous fab operations. As we know, Agentic AI is the primary force behind memory supply shortages, and NVIDIA, with SK Hynix, will enable memory supply to keep pace with their latest AI infrastructure roadmap. This collab allows SK Hynix to diversify its memory solutions into Personal AI and Physical AI segments, while co-developing the required platforms for NVIDIA's latest and greatest. "AI factories are the engines of the next industrial revolution, and advanced memory is essential to their performance," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. "SK hynix has been an extraordinary partner to NVIDIA, playing a central role in delivering advanced memory technologies for NVIDIA AI computing platforms. Together, we will codevelop the next generation of memory for AI factories and support the accelerating global expansion of AI infrastructure -- from frontier model training to agentic and physical AI." SK Hynix will be leveraging NVIDIA's CUDA-X libraries to speed up semiconductor simulation, to assist with manufacturing and production. The DRAM maker will also develop fab digital twins as a foundation for its autonomous fab operations. NVIDIA has been pushing Korean firms such as SK Hynix to ramp up their memory production and has been placing massive orders. Meanwhile, SK Hynix is already supplying NVIDIA with its bleeding-edge HBM4 & SOCAMM2 technologies for Vera Rubin while also working towards HBM4E for Rubin Ultra. Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.

Jensen Huang Hosts Korean Tech Power Dinner In Taipei As Nvidia Deepens Ties With Samsung, SK Hynix For N

Nvidia Strengthens Korea Partnerships Ahead Of AI Demand Surge Huang described South Korea as an essential piece of Nvidia's growing ecosystem as the company prepares for what he expects will be an increasingly busy period for AI infrastructure expansion. "I want to go congratulate them, thank them, and also prepare for the second half of this year," Huang told reporters. "It's going to be very busy and next year is going to be incredibly busy." The Nvidia chief added, "Korea is a critical part of our ecosystem." Why Samsung And SK Hynix Matter To Nvidia's AI Push The gathering marked the first time Huang hosted a dedicated event specifically for Korean partners during his Taipei visit. SK Hynix and Samsung have become increasingly important suppliers in the AI race because of their roles in advanced memory technologies used in AI accelerators and data center infrastructure. During the event, Huang moved between tables, greeting executives and raising toasts as crowds gathered outside the venue. Robotics And Korea's Growing Role In AI Infrastructure Huang said Nvidia is continuing to evaluate investment opportunities in South Korea and expressed interest in expanding into robotics partnerships. "We always consider investments in Korea," he said, adding that Korean firms are "really smart companies" and "very technical." Several South Korea-focused ETFs have outpaced Nvidia's year-to-date gains despite the chipmaker's strong rally. Here's a look: Price Action: Shares of Nvidia closed Monday up 6.26% at $224.36 and decreased by 0.17% to $223.97 in after-hours trading, according to Benzinga Pro. Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings place Nvidia in the 98th percentile for growth, reflecting strength across short, medium and long-term time frames. Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Photo Courtesy: FotoField on Shutterstock.com Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.

Korean firms join forces with Nvidia for massive AI infrastructure build-out

Major Korean conglomerates and corporations like Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, LG and Naver have formed a veritable alliance for artificial intelligence infrastructure with the US-based semiconductor giant Nvidia to accelerate the build-out of AI data centers in Korea. The coalition's strategy is to ride Nvidia's momentum as the global leader of the AI market and the broader wave of AI transformation for mid- to long-term growth. While in Seoul on Monday, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang held successive meetings with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin and Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun to discuss ways their companies can collaborate. While Huang's meetings with major Korean executives over the weekend were casual gatherings for dinner and drinks, discussions with business bigwigs on the last day before his departure from Korea explored concrete plans for cooperation. Companies used Huang's visit as an opportunity to announce their AI business strategies using Nvidia's AI chips and software platforms. SK Telecom and Naver unveiled plans to build AI-specialized data centers dubbed "AI factories" by Huang to stress their roles as hubs powered by AI that create intelligence. Such facilities are considered foundational infrastructure for applying AI to manufacturing and other sectors. SK Telecom plans to build an AI data center in Korea next year equipped with Nvidia's latest chips. Naver has agreed to jointly build a gigawatt-scale AI infrastructure four times bigger than the country's largest data center to create a massive AI plant targeting Asia, the Middle East and Europe. LG and Hyundai Motor have joined forces with Nvidia to focus on physical AI industries such as robotics. LG Group will collaborate in the development of robots, components and related platforms, as well as raise cooperation in thermal and power management for data centers, two sectors that LG Electronics and LG Energy Solution are strong in. Huang also called Hyundai Motor's robotics, AI and hydrogen cluster under development in Saemangeum, a massive estuarine tidal flat and land reclamation project on the Yellow Sea coast in North Jeolla Province, "AI Valley." He also discussed with the conglomerate's Chung cooperation in autonomous mobility, industrial robots and future manufacturing systems integrating AI. A partnership between Korean companies and Nvidia could deliver major gains for both sides. Beyond just procuring memory chips, Nvidia has strengthened its presence in the Korean market, which holds manufacturing data, a key growth driver in AI. Domestic corporations also stand to greatly benefit by using Nvidia's high-powered chips and platforms to gain faster access to the AI market, a key sector of future growth. "We're in the beginning of the AI revolution," Huang said at a news briefing held at SK headquarters in downtown Seoul, noting that the global infrastructure for artificial intelligence must be built over the next 10 years and beyond. "We're at the beginning of the AI infrastructure build-out, and the future is quite bright," he said, implying that the partnerships Nvidia formed with Korean companies during his visit could accelerate the AI revolution as the first step toward a boom in related sectors. Memory companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which already have close ties with Nvidia, pledged to further strengthen their cooperation. SK Hynix will jointly develop next-generation AI memory with Nvidia including high-bandwidth memory. Huang on Monday also spoke to Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun, with both sides agreeing to firm up their partnership in semiconductors. Naver will also join the Nemotron Coalition, a Nvidia-led global collaboration of AI labs and developers to build, train and advance open, frontier-level foundation models to build leading open-source models to compete with closed-source AI systems such as OpenAI and Anthropic. By Park Jong-o, staff reporter; Sun Dam-eun, staff reporter; Yu Ha-yeong, staff reporter

Science minister meets Jensen Huang, discusses AI ecosystem partnerships - The Korea Times

Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon speaks to reporters as he arrived at The Shilla Seoul in central Seoul to attend Nvidia's Korea AI Ecosystem Reception, Monday. Yonhap Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon met with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in Seoul on Monday and discussed various areas of cooperation, including ways to nurture the local physical artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem, the science ministry said. The meeting took place during Huang's four-day visit to Seoul, which started Friday. He has met with executives from Korea's major conglomerates in the AI supply chain, as well as researchers and representatives of startups in the sector. Bae and Huang reaffirmed the importance of creating tangible results since the partnership between Korea and Nvidia agreed to last year, on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting. The science minister also asked Huang for the smooth supply of some 260,000 advanced chips from Nvidia agreed to during the APEC event, as well as the company's support in Korea's effort to build an AI factory based on Nvidia's Vera Rubin platform. The two discussed partnerships in the physical AI sphere, while Bae delivered his hope that Nvidia's upcoming AI research and development (R&D) center in Seoul could grow into a base for Korea's partnership with the U.S. chipmaker, the science ministry added.

Nvidia broadens ties with Korean firms during CEO's Seoul swing - The Korea Times

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, right, standing with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, left, speaks to reporters at SK Group headquarters in central Seoul, Monday. Yonhap Nvidia has expanded its artificial intelligence (AI) partnerships with a broad range of Korean businesses during CEO Jensen Huang's whirlwind meetings with top business leaders in Seoul, laying the foundations for wide-ranging cooperation encompassing joint chip development, data center infrastructure and physical AI initiatives. On Monday alone, Huang met SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun, Naver Chairman of the Board Lee Hae-jin and other key figures in Korea's tech industries. SK Group and Nvidia announced a long-term partnership spanning joint development of chips and AI infrastructure expansion. Unlike the previous relationship between the two sides, in which SK hynix stood as a major memory chip supplier, the new partnership aims for a broader collaboration across SK Group affiliates, including SK Telecom. "We are securing a long-term agreement. We are co-designing our road maps together so that Nvidia's architecture and SK hynix's memory technology can advance together, allowing us to achieve the highest performance and the greatest value for the market," Huang said. "SK and Nvidia are working very closely together to make sure that the most advanced AI technology is produced from SK hynix's fabs and used by SK Telecom." Under the partnership, SK hynix will co-develop next-generation memory for Nvidia's AI computing platforms, including the Vera Rubin supercomputer, Vera CPU, RTX Spark AI PC and Jetson Thor humanoid robotics platform. SK Telecom will operate AI data centers, or AI factories in Nvidia's terminology, with a combined capacity measured in gigawatts, to help build an AI infrastructure network spanning Asia. "The partnership encompasses not only SK hynix's semiconductor fabs but also data centers and related infrastructure," Chey said. "Also, we will share and jointly develop long-term AI research and development road maps with Nvidia." Huang also met with the LG Group chairman and agreed to strengthen the two sides' partnership in mobility, AI data centers, foundation models and physical AI. LG Group said it will leverage Nvidia's AI technologies to build an intelligent autonomous manufacturing ecosystem. To support the effort, the two sides will jointly develop general-purpose robotics models based on Nvidia's Isaac GR00T platform and co-develop reference robots. LG will also build an AI factory based on Nvidia's DSX AI infrastructure platform, as well as collaborate on cooling solutions for thermal management, such as coolant distribution units and cold plates. In mobility, LG Group plans to integrate Nvidia's DRIVE Hyperion autonomous driving platform with its in-vehicle infotainment capabilities to enhance next-generation advanced driver assistance systems and other AI-powered mobility solutions. To support the effort, LG Electronics, LG Innotek, LG Uplus and LG CNS will each strengthen cooperation with Nvidia in their respective business areas. "We had a very in-depth and inspiring discussion on strategic cooperation that will transform future industries," Koo said. "The blueprint for the AI ecosystem envisioned by Nvidia aligns with LG's future direction of creating meaningful changes in customers' daily lives and global industrial sites." "With Nvidia DSX and physical AI platforms, LG can extend its leadership from homes and vehicles to factories and AI infrastructure, creating new growth opportunities across the intelligent systems that will shape daily life and industry," Huang said. In the afternoon, Huang met Hyundai Motor Group's Chung and took part in demonstrations of the group's future mobility and robotics technologies at the automotive group's headquarters in southern Seoul. The two focused their discussions on their ongoing projects involving robotics and physical AI projects. "Today, we are uniting AI and Hyundai's expertise in mobility to transform the future of mobility and the future of robotics," Huang said. "The next wave of AI is mobility and physical AI. This is the future where AI understands the world and can come out and do good work, productive work for the world. This is the time for Hyundai." Chung told reporters that he introduced Hyundai Motor Group's 9 trillion won ($5.86 billion) project to transform the Saemangeum area in North Jeolla Province into what he called an "AI valley" for AI and robotics development, and invited Nvidia to participate in the initiative. When asked about Chung's proposal, Huang responded with humor, saying he would be happy to build Nvidia in Saemangeum "so long as there's excellent barbecue pork." Naver also reached a comprehensive partnership with Nvidia on sovereign AI infrastructure. Under the partnership, Naver plans to build a 55-megawatt AI factory in 2027 and expand its overseas AI infrastructure capacity to 200 megawatts by 2028 to meet growing global demand. Ultimately, the company aims to scale the infrastructure to the gigawatt level. The initiative will be based on Nvidia's DSX platform. Naver also plans to use Nvidia's Nemotron 3 Ultra model to further fine-tune its proprietary HyperCLOVA X model. The model is also expected to serve as a platform supporting sovereign AI initiatives in Europe and the Middle East. "This alliance is highly encouraging because it allows us to offer a tangible blueprint for countries and regions around the world seeking to build their own sovereign AI capabilities," Naver's Lee said. A day earlier, Huang also met Doosan Group Chairman Park Jeong-won, and the two sides announced their plans to advance physical AI and AI factory infrastructure. Doosan agreed to expand cooperation with Nvidia across its key businesses, including energy, electronic materials and robotics. Under the partnership, products such as Doosan Enerbility's gas turbines and small modular reactors will be incorporated into Nvidia's DSX platform, while Doosan Robotics will use Nvidia's Isaac Sim platform to develop an agentic robotics operating system.

South Korea's Naver rallies on Nvidia AI partnership By Investing.com

Investing.com-- Naver Corp (KS:035420) shares rose sharply on Monday after the South Korean internet firm announced a partnership with NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) to build artificial intelligence infrastructure in the country. Naver surged nearly 14% to 290,500 won, largely outpacing a near 9% slide in the KOSPI index. Get more insights on the AI trade by subscribing to InvestingPro The company and Nvidia said they will collaborate on building "AI factories," specifically data centers and infrastructure in South Korea over the coming years. The two will first target building a 55 megawatt project and aim to scale up to gigawatt levels using Nvidia's DSX platform. "NAVER is building AI factory infrastructure that will serve its companies, developers and industries," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in a statement. Naver and Nvidia said they will target providing sovereign AI infrastructure, with the project kicking off with an AI expansion at Naver's Gak Sejon data center in the city of Sejong. Beyond data centers, Naver and Nvidia will also collaborate on physical AI in enterprise and surveillance applications, the two said in a statement. Naver is South Korea's largest online search engine, and also jointly owns the LINE messaging application. The company has leaned heavily into AI in recent years with its own in-house large language models, most notably its HyperCLOVA X model. The partnership with Nvidia came as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited South Korea and met with several of the country's biggest tech leaders. Beyond Naver, Nvidia also announced deals with SK Hynix Inc (KS:000660) and Doosan (KS:000150).

SK, Nvidia form 'long-term' partnership for chip design, AI infrastructure - The Korea Times

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, right, speaks during a media interview with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, left, at SK Group headquarters in central Seoul, Monday. Yonhap SK Group and Nvidia formed a "long-term" partnership for artificial intelligence (AI), which include co-developing chips for AI accelerators and expanding AI infrastructure including semiconductor fabs and data centers. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won said Monday their partnership involves "jointly designing AI roadmaps," adding that the cooperation will extend beyond SK hynix's chip supply business to encompass a broader range of SK Group's AI initiatives, including those led by SK Telecom. "Today we're announcing a partnership with SK that has many elements," Huang said during a media interview at SK Group headquarters in central Seoul. "We are securing a long-term agreement. We are co-designing our roadmaps together so that Nvidia's architecture and SK hynix's memory technology can advance together, allowing us to achieve the highest performance and the greatest value for the market." Chey also said the partnership has evolved from a memory-focused relationship centered on SK hynix into a broader collaboration spanning the entire SK Group. He said the first pillar of the partnership is building AI factories together, "encompassing not only SK hynix's semiconductor fabs but also data centers and related infrastructure." The second is "sharing and jointly developing long-term AI research and development roadmaps." As part of the partnership, SK hynix said it will "co-develop next-generation memory for AI factories" with Nvidia. Chey said the two companies will jointly develop next-generation memory for AI factories and apply AI to semiconductor design and manufacturing. The announcement bears significance because it suggests SK hynix's role is evolving from a supplier that manufactures AI-specific high-bandwidth memory (HBM) to Nvidia's specifications into a partner involved in developing memory from the planning stage of Nvidia's next-generation AI platforms. Huang said all four of Nvidia's newly unveiled computing products -- the Vera Rubin supercomputer, Vera CPU, RTX Spark and Jetson Thor -- "will have SK hynix inside," stressing "SK hynix has been Nvidia's largest memory partner and will continue to be our largest memory partner." SK Telecom will also team up with Nvidia to build a gigawatt-level AI infrastructure that spans across Asia. Under this plan, SK Telecom will build AI factories, which refer to AI-specific data centers capable of manufacturing tokens, based on Nvidia's DSX platform. The first of these factories will operate in Korea in 2027, and these factories will be powered by Nvidia's Blackwell graphics processing units and Vera Rubin supercomputer. "SK and Nvidia are working very closely together to make sure that the most advanced AI technology is produced from SK hynix's fabs and used by SK Telecom," Huang said. The partnership is expected to span multiple years, with Huang saying the two companies will "have the opportunity to keep extending" it. The announcement came during Huang's visit to Seoul, which began on Friday. During his stay, he met Chey on multiple occasions, further cementing the partnership between Nvidia and SK Group. On Sunday, the two had dinner at a fried chicken restaurant in Seoul's Samseong-dong, the same venue where Huang met Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun during his visit last year. Throughout his visit, Huang has been meeting a series of other Korean business leaders and explored opportunities for partnerships. The Nvidia CEO said he is cementing ties with Korean partners because the country's advantages in semiconductor manufacturing, heavy industries, software technology and scientific capabilities are propelling it as one of the world's leading contributors of AI. "The United States is number one, China is number two and South Korea, I think, is number three," he said. "These combinations really creates a perfect environment for South Korea to take advantage of the AI revolution."

Nvidia signs AI deals with SK Group and South Korean tech firms By Investing.com

Investing.com -- Nvidia announced several partnerships with major South Korean technology companies on Monday as the chipmaker works to secure memory chip supplies and expand its artificial intelligence business. The deals were revealed during a visit to South Korea by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang that started on Friday. The agreements involve SK Hynix, SK Telecom, Naver, and Doosan Group. Financial terms of the partnerships were not disclosed. SK Group, the country's second-largest family-owned conglomerate, said its SK Hynix and SK Telecom units reached agreements with Nvidia. SK Hynix signed a multi-year technology partnership to develop advanced memory chips for global AI data centers, according to SK Group. The companies said the agreement would help supply keep pace with Nvidia's expansion into robotics, personal computers and AI supercomputers. Memory chip manufacturers have been working to meet rising demand from the AI boom, with signs of limited supply sparking a sharp increase in memory prices since mid-2025. This in turn presented a major windfall for SK Hynix and rivals Samsung Electronics and Micron. SK Telecom plans to build a gigawatt-scale AI cloud in South Korea using Nvidia technology. The first AI data center is scheduled to begin operations in 2027, the companies said in a statement. Internet company Naver and Doosan will use Nvidia technology to build AI data centers, the companies said on Monday. Doosan, which develops robots and produces materials used in advanced AI chips, said it expects its energy technology to be used in Nvidia's data center platforms and to use the company's physical AI technology. Nvidia is also working with LG Group on humanoid robots and data centers, Huang said after meeting with LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo last week. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Nvidia Strikes Deals With Korean Tech Titans for AI Infrastructure Buildout -- Update

Nvidia is teaming up with leading South Korean technology companies to build large-scale artificial-intelligence infrastructure in Asia, seeking to solidify its data-center footprint and expand its AI ecosystem into robotics and other industrial sectors. The string of deals comes as Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang makes his second visit to South Korea--home to global manufacturers of memory chips, autos, ships and robots--in less than a year, following a trip to Taiwan, another chip-manufacturing hub. Mobile carrier SK Telecom said Monday that it and Nvidia are advancing plans for their first gigawatt-scale AI cloud services in South Korea, with the aim to expand into other parts of Asia. The infrastructure project will combine Nvidia's platform and advanced graphics processing units with SK Telecom's network and data centers to create AI factories that generate tokens--the basic building blocks of intelligence derived from data. The first AI factory is expected to come online in 2027, according to the statement. The deal reflects the deepening partnership between the U.S. AI chip leader and South Korean conglomerate SK Group, the parent of SK Hynix, a key supplier of high-bandwidth-memory products used in Nvidia's AI accelerators. "Without SK's partnership, today's AI industry would not have developed as wonderfully as it has," Nvidia's Huang told reporters after meeting with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won. "We're at the beginning of [the] AI infrastructure buildout. The future is quite bright." SK Hynix separately struck a multiyear technology agreement with Nvidia on Monday to advance next-generation memory chips and accelerate semiconductor design and manufacturing. "SK Hynix will continue to be Nvidia's largest memory partner," Huang told reporters. The U.S. AI chip company's new Vera central processing units will use SK Hynix's memory products, he said Sunday after dinner with Chey and other SK executives in Seoul. Internet and cloud-computing company Naver on Monday said it will collaborate with Nvidia to build AI factories as part of the gigawatt-scale push. Huang and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin also discussed a concrete road map to jointly enter AI markets in Europe and the Middle East as well as the Asia-Pacific region, it said. Naver, which developed a homegrown large language model, has played a central role in South Korea's efforts to advance sovereign AI. Huang also held a series of meetings on Monday with executives from other major South Korean groups, including Doosan, LG and Hyundai, to explore future AI-related business opportunities with Nvidia. After talks with Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Eui-sun, Huang said the combination of the carmaker's industrial capabilities and AI could accelerate the next evolution of AI, or robotics. "No one is in a better position to take advantage of that and to create that than Hyundai. So, I'm very excited to partner with Hyundai across all of these different areas of artificial intelligence from mobility and robotics to AI factories," the Nvidia chief said. Boston Dynamics, a Hyundai Motor Group affiliate, plans to deploy its Atlas humanoid robots at auto plants from 2028 and aims to produce 30,000 units globally each year. The auto group in February also announced a multibillion-dollar investment plan centered on physical AI in South Korea. LG said after Chairman Koo Kwang-mo met with Huang that the two sides are expanding their strategic partnership, combining Nvidia's AI technologies with LG's manufacturing and infrastructure capabilities to accelerate AI adoption in everyday life and industry. South Korea under President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in June 2025 for a five-year term, has stepped up a national push for AI autonomy, seeking to become one of the world's major AI hubs with large related investments. The Lee administration, together with large local tech companies, including Naver and Hyundai, in October agreed to deploy over 260,000 advanced Nvidia GPUs for the AI infrastructure buildout. President Lee on Sunday named Han Seong-sook, a former Naver chief executive and the country's minister for small businesses and startups, as prime minister. The presidential office said it expects Han to lead the country's continuing AI transformation and economic-growth efforts.

Nvidia and SK hynix announce multiyear memory partnership By Investing.com

SEOUL, South Korea - Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and SK hynix announced today a multiyear technology partnership to develop next-generation memory for artificial intelligence infrastructure and accelerate semiconductor design and manufacturing, according to a press release statement. The deal comes as Nvidia, with a market capitalization of nearly $5 trillion, continues its AI-driven expansion with revenue growth of 71% over the last twelve months. According to InvestingPro analysis, the stock appears undervalued relative to its Fair Value, placing it among companies on the platform's most undervalued list. The agreement addresses supply for advanced memory, supporting extended development cycles, fabrication and capital investments required for AI infrastructure expansion. SK hynix will codevelop memory for Nvidia Vera Rubin AI supercomputers, Vera CPUs, RTX Spark-powered PCs and Jetson Thor robotic computing platforms. "AI factories are the engines of the next industrial revolution, and advanced memory is essential to their performance," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia. "SK hynix has been an extraordinary partner to Nvidia, playing a central role in delivering advanced memory technologies for Nvidia AI computing platforms." Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, said the companies are codeveloping the next generation of memory for AI factories and applying AI to semiconductor design and manufacturing. The partnership enables SK hynix to diversify into markets spanning AI infrastructure, personal AI and physical AI. InvestingPro data shows Nvidia maintains an "EXCELLENT" financial health score of 3.75 out of 5, with a gross profit margin of 74%. The platform identifies Nvidia as a prominent player in the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry -- one of 18+ InvestingPro Tips available for the stock, alongside comprehensive Pro Research Reports covering 1,400+ US equities. The companies will apply AI to semiconductor chip design and manufacturing using Nvidia CUDA-X libraries and Nvidia PhysicsNeMo to accelerate semiconductor simulations and technology computer-aided design workflows. SK hynix will develop factory digital twins by combining Nvidia Omniverse, OpenUSD scene optimization and Nvidia cuOpt to advance autonomous fabrication operations. The digital twins will support operational optimization, including movement of autonomous mobile robots and other fabrication assets. The companies are exploring ways to connect digital twins with existing software and AI workflows to enable AI systems to automate tasks and improve manufacturing decision-making. In other recent news, Nvidia Corp. has made significant strides in the AI sector with the acquisition of Kumo AI, a startup specializing in predictive enterprise AI software, for over $400 million. This acquisition aims to enhance Nvidia's collection of AI models, optimizing them for Nvidia hardware to offer enterprises more customization options. Additionally, Nvidia-backed Generalist AI, a robotics startup, successfully raised $400 million in a funding round led by Radical Ventures, valuing the company at $2 billion. The funds are earmarked for developing advanced AI models to assist robots in handling complex tasks. In another development, South Korea's LG Group plans to adopt 10,000 Nvidia graphics processing units to train AI systems and support the development of a humanoid robot. Meanwhile, Navitas Semiconductor announced a collaboration with the NVIDIA MGX™ Ecosystem to advance 800 VDC AI infrastructure, marking a significant step in AI data center technology. On a broader market note, Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, expressed concerns about a potential bubble in the AI market, highlighting the challenges companies face in balancing spending and market share. These recent developments underscore Nvidia's expanding influence and partnerships in the AI industry. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

SK, Nvidia deepen AI alliance at another Kkanbu Chicken meetup - The Korea Times

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, center, poses with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, fourth from right, and senior executives from both firms at a Kkanbu Chicken restaurant in Seoul, Sunday. They include SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung, sixth from right, and SK Telecom CEO Jung Jai-hun, third from right. Yonhap Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met with SK's senior executives at a fried chicken restaurant in Seoul, Sunday evening, for what industry watchers expect to be a wide-ranging discussion on their deepening artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation. Led by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, key executives from the group's cash-cow affiliates attended the symbolic gathering with the head of the world's most valuable company at a Kkanbu Chicken restaurant -- the same venue where Huang dined with Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun last October. Alongside Chey, SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung and SK Telecom CEO Jung Jai-hun also attended the casual dinner with Huang, which was reportedly arranged at the Nvidia chief's request. They discussed a wide range of AI partnerships in areas such as high-bandwidth memory (HBM), AI semiconductors, data center infrastructures and physical AI. With both Nvidia and SK Group paying particular attention to smart factories, both sides are also expected to bring up the agenda on the dialogue table. SK hynix is slated to supply Nvidia with the former's sixth-generation HBM4 chips used for Nvidia's Vera Rubin AI accelerator. On the telecom front, Nvidia and SK Telecom are partnering on digital twin technology for physical AI applications. Digital twin refers to a virtual representation of real-world physical systems or products. Earlier this month, Huang introduced SK Telecom's digital twin system -- powered by Nvidia's Omniverse platform -- used for semiconductor manufacturing at SK hynix's production lines during his GTC Taipei 2026 keynote. "Huang's multiple meetings with top executives from Korean tech firms display Nvidia's willingness to preemptively taking the lead in the era of physical AI," an official from the industry said.

Nvidia Strikes AI Infrastructure Deals With South Korean Tech Firms

Nvidia is teaming up with leading South Korean technology companies to build large-scale artificial-intelligence infrastructure in Asia, seeking to solidify its data-center footprint and expand its AI ecosystem. The string of deals comes as Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang makes his second visit to South Korea, home to the world's top memory-chip makers, in less than a year, following a trip to Taiwan, another chip-manufacturing hub. Mobile carrier SK Telecom said Monday that the company and Nvidia have agreed to push for their first gigawatt-scale AI cloud services in South Korea and to expand into other parts of Asia. The infrastructure project will combine Nvidia's platform and advanced graphics processing units with SK Telecom's network and data centers to create AI factories that generate tokens--the basic building blocks of intelligence derived from data. The first AI factory is expected to come online in 2027, according to the statement. The deal reflects the deepening partnership between the U.S. AI chip leader and South Korean conglomerate SK Group, the parent of SK Hynix, a key supplier of high-bandwidth-memory products used in Nvidia's AI accelerators. SK Hynix on Monday separately struck a multiyear technology agreement with Nvidia to advance next-generation memory chips for the global AI infrastructure buildout and accelerate semiconductor design and manufacturing. Nvidia's Huang told reporters Sunday after having dinner with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and executives from SK Hynix and SK Telecom in Seoul that the U.S. AI chip company's new Vera central processing units will use SK Hynix's memory products. South Korea's Naver is also joining Nvidia's global AI infrastructure initiative. The internet and cloud-computing company said Monday that it agreed to cooperate with Nvidia on building AI factories as part of the gigawatt-scale initiative. Huang and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin discussed a concrete road map to jointly enter AI markets in Europe and the Middle East as well as the Asia-Pacific region. Naver, which developed a homegrown large language model, has played a central role in South Korea's efforts to advance sovereign AI. South Korea under President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in June 2025 for a five-year term, has stepped up its initiative for AI autonomy, seeking to become one of the world's major AI hubs with large related investments. The Lee administration teamed up with local tech companies, including Naver, to purchase 260,000 of Nvidia's advanced GPUs to build AI infrastructure. President Lee on Sunday named Han Seong-sook, a former Naver chief executive and the country's minister for small businesses and startups, as prime minister. The presidential office said it expects Han to lead the country's continuing AI transformation and economic-growth efforts.

Nvidia, Hyundai Motor discuss AI R&D center in S.Korea- report By Investing.com

Investing.com-- Hyundai Motor (KS:005380), NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), and the South Korean government are in final talks over establishing an artificial intelligence technology center in the country, the Korea Economic Daily reported on Thursday. The Saemangeum reclamation project on the southwest coast of South Korea has emerged as the leading candidate for the site, the Korea Economic Daily reported, citing government and industry officials. Get more breaking news on Nvidia and top AI stocks by subscribing to InvestingPro The center would be similar to Nvidia's other R&D bases in locations such as Singapore and Taiwan, and is likely an extension of the memorandum of understanding signed by Hyundai and Nvidia in October 2025. Nvidia had agreed to supply Hyundai with GPUs and jointly establish AI sites in South Korea. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is set to visit South Korea this week, and is expected to meet Hyundai Chair Euisun Chung and several other business leaders on Friday.

Nvidia extends partnership with Korean gaming giants - The Korea Times

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, right, poses with Krafton Chairman Chang Byung-gyu in front of an internet cafe in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has deepened ties with Korea's leading game developers, holding a series of high-profile meetings with top executives from NC and Krafton, as the U.S. chipmaker seeks to expand collaboration with gamers to develop more sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) and next-generation robotics systems. Huang's back-to-back meetings with Krafton Chairman Chang Byung-gyu and NC CEO Kim Taek-jin in Seoul underscore Nvidia's growing view of the gaming industry as a strategic partner in the development of physical AI, a field the company sees as central to the future of humanoid robots and autonomous systems. Huang met with Chang at an internet cafe in Seoul, accompanied by Krafton Chief AI Officer Lee Kang-wook and Jang Tae-seok, head of PUBG: Battlegrounds. The Nvidia chief later held separate talks with Kim at another internet cafe in the same city. The choice of location is notable. Rather than meeting in corporate headquarters, Huang opted for Korea's many internet cafes, known locally as "PC bang," highlighting the close relationship between Nvidia and the country's gaming industry and reflecting the industry's cultural significance in Korea. The meetings focused on a broad range of future technologies, including physical AI, humanoid robots and gaming applications built on Nvidia's RTX Spark AI PC platform. For Nvidia, game developers are increasingly important partners in training AI systems. The vast amounts of data generated by sophisticated virtual characters and simulated environments are viewed as valuable resources for developing AI models capable of understanding and interacting with the physical world. Korean game companies are emerging as key long-term collaborators in Nvidia's broader AI strategy. Krafton has maintained a longstanding partnership with Nvidia. The company recently introduced "PUBG Ally," an AI-powered companion system for PUBG: Battlegrounds, and incorporated "Smart Zoi" technology into its life-simulation title inZOI, enabling non-player characters to make autonomous decisions and exhibit more natural behaviors. Cooperation between the two companies extends beyond gaming. In April last year, Krafton executives visited Nvidia's headquarters in California, where they held discussions with Huang on robotics and next-generation technologies. Earlier this year, Krafton established Ludo Robotics, a dedicated physical AI venture. Krafton CEO Kim Chang-han was appointed chief executive of the U.S. entity, while Lee was named head of the Korean operation. In the meeting with the NC founder, Huang discussed collaboration in gaming and AI. The two executives also participated in a user event and livestream for NC's upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Aion 2. The title incorporates Nvidia's latest graphics technologies, including DLSS Frame Generation and Nvidia Reflex, designed to enhance visual performance and responsiveness.

Nvidia announces deals with South Korea's SK Hynix, Naver and Doosan for AI data centres

SEOUL, June 8 (Reuters) - Nvidia on Monday announced deals with South Korea's SK Hynix, Naver and Doosan Group to build AI data centres and use the U.S. chip firm's technology, as it looks to continue driving the AI boom. The agreements come during a high-profile trip by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to South Korea that began on Friday and has seen him have fried chicken with the country's top corporate bosses, throw a baseball pitch and meet with a well-known gamer so far. Nvidia and its partners did not disclose the value of the deals. SK Hynix and Nvidia said they had signed a multi-year technology partnership that would advance next-generation memory for global AI data centres. The South Korean memory chipmaker said it would enter new AI fields via the partnership, such as personal AI and physical AI, and that the deal would help maintain a stable supply of memory chips despite the advanced memory semiconductors' long development cycles. Its sister company SK Telecom said it would build a gigawatt-scale AI cloud in South Korea using Nvidia technology, with the first AI data centre to come online in 2027. Nvidia also said that it would cooperate with South Korean internet giant Naver and conglomerate Doosan, which would both use its technology to build AI data centres. Doosan, which is developing robots and makes materials used in Nvidia's most powerful Blackwell chips, said it expected its energy solution to be used in Nvidia's data centre platforms and that it would use the U.S. firm's physical AI technology as well. South Korea is an Asian manufacturing powerhouse, home to major manufacturers of chips, electronics, cars and ships. SK Hynix and rival Samsung Electronics are the world's two largest makers of memory chips, which are key components in data centres. (Reporting by Heekyong Yang, Jack Kim and Brenda Goh; Editing by Tom Hogue and Jamie Freed)

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang shares 'somaek' with Korea's top tycoons amid partnership talks - The Korea Times

From left, Naver Chairman of the Board Lee Hae-jin, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang make a toast with "somaek," a blend of soju and beer, at a pork belly restaurant in Mapo District, Seoul, Friday. Joint Press Corps Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Seoul on Friday, seven months after making headlines with a fried chicken gathering with the heads of Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor Group that was followed by a large-scale Nvidia artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator supply across Korea. This time, his visit is set to focus on partnerships with a broader range of Korean firms in AI applications, including robotics, physical AI, infrastructure and gaming. In addition to his business engagements, Huang is also scheduled to make a television appearance and throw a ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game, reflecting his celebritylike popularity here. Huang dined with some of Korea's top business leaders at Hyungnim Jeoyo, a casual pork belly barbecue restaurant near Hongik University in western Seoul, hours after his arrival in the country. He shared a table with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Naver Chairman of the Board Lee Hae-jin. Officials from Nvidia also joined the gathering. The restaurant's name, which roughly translates to "Hey big brother, over here," is seen as carrying a symbolic message about strengthening ties with Korean business partners. During the meal, that message was underscored in a toast with "somaek," a blend of soju and beer, with Huang raising his glass and saying, "Go Korea, go SK, go LG and go Naver." The companies are key Korean partners for Nvidia in both its AI supply chain and physical AI ambitions. SK Group's chipmaking unit, SK hynix, is Nvidia's main supplier of AI-specific high-bandwidth memory. Chey and Huang have now met three times in the past week, after holding back-to-back meetings at GTC Taipei 2026 and COMPUTEX 2026 in Taiwan. For LG Group Chairman Koo, the dinner is his first meeting with Huang. LG Group is currently shifting its portfolio from traditional electronics toward AI-driven robotics. In particular, LG Electronics is developing humanoid robots using Nvidia's platforms and has been seeking expanded cooperation with the company across a range of robotics and AI-related businesses. Naver is also enhancing its partnership with Nvidia in the realm of physical AI. Naver Cloud signed a memorandum of understanding with Nvidia in October last year to combine its digital twin and robotics technologies with Nvidia's Omniverse and Isaac Sim platforms. During his previous visit to Seoul last October, Huang met Chung and Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong at Kkanbu Chicken, whose name roughly translates to "very close friends." At the time, Huang said the venue symbolized his friendship with the two business leaders. Huang arrived in Korea through the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center at around 1:30 p.m. "I'm back because I want to thank all of my partners and customers who are here," Huang told reporters. "I want to make sure that ... our partners are aligned and prepared." Huang said he has brought "a lot of business" and "some surprises" for Korea. He noted that Nvidia has already started hiring for its research and development (R&D) center in Korea, adding that he is also considering building "a site" for manufacturing. "As soon as we have enough people here, we'll build a site," he said. "Korea is so good at building things. I have no trouble building a beautiful site here when the time is ready." He said the visit is largely aimed at aligning Nvidia's supply chain, as the company needs to coordinate the production of key technologies, including dynamic random-access memory and high-bandwidth memory, to support the rollout of its Grace Blackwell and Vera Rubin systems. He said Korea is "an excellent place" to invest in R&D centers because of its expertise in AI, robotics and manufacturing. "Because Korea is a manufacturing center of the world, we can apply the robotics technology, the physical AI technology that we invent here for the industry here," he said. "The manufacturing of semiconductors will become increasingly robotics- and AI-driven in the future, so we have a great opportunity to partner with the semiconductor companies here as well." He noted that demand for high-speed memory is expected to remain strong. "Of course, memory is constrained and so we have to be smart about using it in all of our systems, and so we're continuing to work with our partners here to make sure that we support as much supply as possible, but use the supply as smartly as possible." At 3 p.m., Huang met League of Legends superstar Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok at T1 Base Camp PC Bang in Seoul's Mapo District. The meeting is seen as highlighting the role that Korea's "PC bang" and esports culture played in Nvidia's growth over the past two decades. A PC bang is an internet cafe where users pay by the hour to play games, a key foundation for Korea's rise as a global esports powerhouse and a key market for graphics processing units. After the dinner, Huang is expected to prerecord an appearance for the popular television program "You Quiz on the Block" before holding separate meetings with NC founder Kim Taek-jin and Krafton Chairman of the Board Chang Byung-gyu over the weekend. He is also scheduled to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game between the Doosan Bears and Kiwoom Heroes on Sunday. Next week, Huang is expected to visit the headquarters of major Korean companies, including Hyundai, LG, SK, Samsung and Naver, to discuss partnerships and meet with startups specializing in physical AI, according to industry sources.

SK Hynix announces multi-year tech deal with Nvidia for AI factories

SEOUL, June 8 (Reuters) - SK Hynix on Monday announced a multi-year technology partnership with Nvidia, saying the deal would advance next-generation memory for global AI data centres. The South Korean memory chipmaker said it would enter new AI fields via the partnership, such as personal AI and physical AI, and that the deal would help maintain a stable supply of memory despite advanced memory's long development cycles. (Reporting by Heekyong Yang, Jack Kim and Brenda Goh; Editing by Tom Hogue)

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visits Seoul for robotics, AI, gaming partnerships - The Korea Times

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang waves as he arrived at the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center in western Seoul, Friday. Yonhap Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Seoul on Friday, seven months after making headlines with a fried chicken gathering with the heads of Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor Group that was followed by a large-scale Nvidia artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator supply across Korea. This time, his visit is set to focus on partnerships with a broader range of Korean firms in AI applications, including robotics, physical AI, infrastructure and gaming. In addition to his business engagements, Huang is also scheduled to make a television appearance and throw a ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game, in response to his celebrity-like popularity among Korean fans. Huang arrived in Korea through the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center at around 1:30 p.m., after making appearances at COMPUTEX 2026 and GTC Taipei 2026, both in Taiwan. "I'm back because I want to thank all of my partners and customers who are here," Huang told reporters. "I want to make sure that ... our partners are aligned and prepared." He said the visit is largely aimed at aligning Nvidia's supply chain, as the company needs to coordinate the production of key technologies, including DRAM and high-bandwidth memory, to support the rollout of its Grace Blackwell and Vera Rubin systems. He said Korea is "an excellent place" to invest in research and development centers because of its expertise in AI, robotics and manufacturing. "Because Korea is a manufacturing center of the world, we can apply the robotics technology, the physical AI technology that we invent here for the industry here," he said. "The manufacturing of semiconductors will become increasingly robotics- and AI-driven in the future, so we have a great opportunity to partner with the semiconductor companies here as well." He noted that demand for high-speed memory is expected to remain strong. "Of course, memory is constrained and so we have to be smart about using it in all of our systems and so we're continuing to work with our partners here to make sure that we support as much supply as possible, but use the supply as smartly as possible." At 3 p.m., Huang is scheduled to meet League of Legends superstar Lee Sang-hyeok, better known as Faker, at T1 Base Camp PC Bang in Seoul's Mapo District. The meeting is seen as highlighting the role that Korea's "PC bang" and esports culture played in Nvidia's growth over the past two decades. A PC bang is an internet cafe where users pay by the hour to play games, a key foundation for Korea's rise as a global esports powerhouse and a key market for graphics processing units. After the visit, Huang will have dinner with some of Korea's top business leaders at a casual pork belly barbecue restaurant, called Hyeongnim Jeoyo, near Hongik University in western Seoul. Those expected to attend include SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Naver Chairman of the Board Lee Hae-jin. Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun is also reportedly considering joining the gathering. The restaurant's name, which roughly translates to "Hey big brother, over here," is seen as carrying a symbolic message about strengthening ties with Korean business partners. During his previous visit to Seoul, Huang met Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun at Kkanbu Chicken, whose name roughly translates to "very close friends." At the time, Huang said the venue symbolized his friendship with the two business leaders. Upon his arrival Friday, Huang joked that he returned to Korea because he missed Korean fried chicken. After the dinner, Huang is expected to prerecord an appearance for the popular television program "You Quiz on the Block" and hold separate meetings with NC founder Kim Taek-jin and Krafton Chairman of the Board Chang Byung-gyu over the weekend. He is also scheduled to throw a ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game between the Doosan Bears and Kiwoom Heroes on Sunday. Next week, Huang is expected to visit the headquarters of major Korean companies, including Hyundai, LG, SK, Samsung and Naver, to discuss partnerships and meet with startups specializing in physical AI, according to industry sources.

Nvidia CEO mounts charm push in South Korea with TV talk show, baseball appearances

SEOUL, June 4 (Reuters) - When Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang makes his second visit to South Korea in just seven months this week, it won't be only to meet top memory chip and robotics executives, but to throw the first pitch at a baseball game and appear on a TV talk show. While a celebrity in his own right, the charm push by the Taiwan-born 63-year-old highlights South Korea's critical position in the AI landscape. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix between them make about 70% of the memory needed for AI chips like Nvidia's. And the country's strength in manufacturing and robotics sets it up to be a key player in physical AI, where AI is embedded in robots, cars and factories. "Nvidia's dependence on South Korean suppliers is rising," Jeff Kim, an analyst at Seoul-based KB Securities, wrote in a research note. Huang "needs a manufacturing site for physical AI," Kim said. "South Korea is emerging as a perfect testbed." Asia's fourth-largest economy is also a major Nvidia customer, with the Silicon Valley-based company announcing in October that it would supply more than 260,000 of its most advanced AI chips to the government and some of the country's biggest businesses. Analysts and investors say South Korea's importance has been magnified after trade frictions spoiled sales of the most-advanced semiconductors to China. "South Korean companies are running high-end factories, which need a lot of these kinds of chips," said Seung-yub Lee, a fund manager at Seoul-based Quad Investment Management. President Lee Jae Myung has vowed to make AI investment a top policy priority, aiming to turn South Korea into one of the world's top three AI powers amid a broader push to counter the economic impact of a shrinking population. "Korea is a critical part of our ecosystem," Huang told reporters at a dinner with South Korean tech executives on Monday in Taipei, the first day of the annual, industry-defining Computex trade show. He highlighted robotics when asked where Nvidia could invest, because "Korea is a manufacturing country, and Korea has a population limit." "We have a lot to do together," he said. Huang's plans clearly include courting the country's 50 million-strong population. He will appear on one of South Korea's most popular talk shows, "You Quiz on the Block", which its production company, CJ ENM, likens to the Jimmy Fallon Show in the U.S. And he will don a Doosan Bears jersey to throw the first pitch at Sunday's home game against the Kiwoom Heroes, with Doosan Group Chairman Park Jeong-won acting as the ceremonial first batter. Arms of chaebol Doosan develop robots and make materials used in Nvidia's Blackwell chips. Park Ju-gun, head of corporate analysis firm Leaders Index, said Huang learned a lesson from his visit in October, when a meeting over chicken and beer with the chiefs of Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor at a Kkanbu Chicken outlet generated a big media buzz. Huang was coy when asked by Reuters which South Korean executives he would meet this time, but food will again be a feature. According to local media, he may have a Korean barbecue dinner in Seoul's trendy Sungsu area with executives from SK Group, Hyundai Motor and LG Group. Reuters has reported likely meetings with LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and executives at South Korea's top online platform, Naver. (Reporting by Heejin Kim, Hyunjoo Jin and Brenda Goh; Additional reporting by Heekyong Yang; Editing by Ed Davies and Kevin Buckland) By Heejin Kim and Hyunjoo Jin

NC founder's past relationship with Jensen Huang back in spotlight - The Korea Times

Two leaders scheduled to meet Sunday to discuss broader gaming AI partnership The long-standing relationship between NC CEO Kim Taek-jin and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is back in the spotlight, as the chief of the global artificial intelligence (AI) chip giant prepares for a rare one-on-one meeting with the Korean game mogul during his visit to Seoul. Huang is set to arrive Friday for a packed itinerary with a group of conglomerate leaders here. Notably, he is scheduled to meet separately with Kim on Sunday to explore comprehensive technological cooperation in gaming and physical AI, referring to AI embedded in robots and autonomous systems. Among Korean gaming executives, Kim is the only one on Huang's official meeting list. Their bond dates back to 2008, when NC launched Aion, its blockbuster massively multiplayer online role-playing game. At the time, the two companies formed a strategic marketing alliance, releasing limited edition Aion GeForce 9800GT graphics cards to commemorate the game's open beta test. GeForce is Nvidia's flagship graphic card brand. That collaboration has seamlessly extended into the cutting-edge hardware era. At the G-Star 2025 game exhibition last November, NC partnered with Nvidia, Samsung Electronics, Intel and Microsoft to showcase its upcoming titles, Aion 2 and Cinder City. The joint exhibition booth successfully demonstrated a high-performance ecosystem, pairing Nvidia's GeForce RTX 50-series graphics chips with Samsung's displays to run NC's next-generation titles. Industry officials said Huang places a premium on loyalty, maintaining deep connections with business leaders who supported Nvidia before it became a trillion-dollar AI juggernaut. This sentiment was mirrored last year when Huang held an informal chicken-and-beer meeting in Seoul with Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun, referring to them as "gganbu" -- a Korean term for best friends. "While Huang has recently focused on hardware partnerships amid the global semiconductor boom, his meeting with Kim transcends pure business," an industry official said. "It is a symbolic gesture highlighting his loyalty to past partners." The convergence of virtual world modeling and simulation technologies -- areas in which both NC and Nvidia have accumulated significant expertise through gaming and AI -- could provide a foundation for expanded cooperation in robotics and broader physical AI applications. NC has been aggressively pivoting toward its subsidiary, NC AI, which recently joined a consortium with Hyundai Rotem to develop a physical AI-based integrated simulator for the Agency for Defense Development. NC AI is also currently leading the development of a "world model" that allows robots to learn physical understanding, while co-developing intelligent robotics technology with Samsung SDS and POSCO DX.

Korea's robotics alliance with Nvidia boosts major tech firms - The Korea Times

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivers a speech during the COMPUTEX 2026 exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday. AP-Yonhap Shares of Korea's major robotics business operators are sharply increasing, driven by mounting anticipation over Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's planned Seoul visit and his repeated signals of interest in deepening collaboration with the local robotics players. On Monday, the Nvidia chief expressed optimism for possible investment in Korea's robotics sector during the Korea Partner Night event at GTC Taipei 2026. The remarks have resonated strongly with investors ahead of his scheduled visit to Seoul, slated for Thursday. His well-documented enthusiasm for physical artificial intelligence (AI) -- the integration of machine intelligence and real-world robotic systems -- has also helped frame Korean industrial heavyweights as potential frontline beneficiaries of the next wave of AI-driven automation. Large-cap robotics stocks, such as LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor and Doosan Robotics, are also on a sharp rally on the growing expectation of the robotics industry. LG Electronics is the standout performer, with its shares soaring more than 300 percent this year. The stock closed at 392,500 won on Tuesday, the last trading day before the local election holiday, up from 91,400 won on the first trading day of the year. The company is accelerating its push into robotics through its logistics robot -- CLOi CarryBot -- and recently shared its plan to develop a physical AI model based on Nvidia's GR00T humanoid reasoning platform. Hyundai Motor Group is another key beneficiary of the booming robotics industry. Shares of Hyundai Motor rose by more than 140 percent during the same period, with that of Kia increasing around 40 percent, buoyed by increasing investors' attention on the Atlas humanoid robot. The carmaker plans to deploy the robots -- developed by its robotics subsidiary Boston Dynamics -- into its major manufacturing facilities here and abroad. Doosan Robotics also reported growth in its shares of more than 100 percent. The industrial robot maker is making efforts to expand its scope of business into AI-powered humanoid robots. Last year, Doosan Group agreed to forge a physical AI partnership with Nvidia into the group's broad business areas, such as construction equipment, power generation equipment and robotics. In April, Madison Huang, the eldest daughter of the Nvidia CEO and a senior director of product marketing at the company, visited a research facility of Doosan Robotics in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. This raises expectations that the Nvidia chief may hold high-profile business meetings with top executives from Doosan Robotics during his visit. The Doosan affiliate is scheduled to launch its first industrial humanoid robot in 2028 by using Nvidia's AI infrastructure. "The rise of physical AI is reframing the position of Korean conglomerates from legacy manufacturing players to strong contenders in the emerging robotics industry," an industry official said. "Huang's Seoul visit will underpin the momentum and help Korean tech firms speed up their expansion into the lucrative AI-driven robotics sector."

Nvidia chief, SK Group Chey meet in Taipei to discuss AI memory chip cooperation - The Korea Times

Jensen Huang, left, chief executive officer of U.S. chip giant Nvidia Corp., poses with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won in Taipei, Monday. Captured from SK Group's Facebook account Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of U.S. chip giant Nvidia Corp., met with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won in Taipei to discuss the future of cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) memory, SK Group said Tuesday. The meeting took place in Taipei on Monday, according to a post on SK Group's Facebook account. Both executives were in the Taiwanese capital to attend Computex, one of Asia's largest technology trade shows. "With SK hynix reaching a market capitalization of $1 trillion, the executives of both companies met to share the significance of the milestone," the post said. The gathering also provided an opportunity to reflect on the achievements the two companies have made together in AI memory and reaffirm their commitment to opening a new chapter in AI infrastructure, the post added. Huang earlier cited robotics as a potential area for investment in South Korea ahead of his visit to the country later this week. His trip to Seoul is expected to begin Thursday night, according to industry sources. On Friday, Huang is expected to hold a series of meetings with the heads of major South Korean conglomerates. Among those expected to attend are Chey, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Lee Hae-jin, founder and chairman of Naver's board. Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung is also positively considering joining the discussions, the sources said. Kim Taek-jin, the CEO of NC Corp., a South Korean gaming company, is also expected to meet with Huang on Sunday, according to industry sources. Business observers say the upcoming talks could move beyond AI semiconductor cooperation to include robotics and physical AI, an emerging field focused on integrating AI with real-world machines and systems. During his previous trip to Seoul in October, which coincided with his participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, Huang drew widespread attention when he joined Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Chung for a late-night meal of Korean fried chicken and beer, commonly known as "chimaek." Onlookers in South Korea already appear to be excited over Huang's visit, with a website predicting his itinerary drawing attention online. According to industry watchers, an individual under the name of "Jun" created an online map tracking possible movements of Huang and news reports related to the CEO's planned visit.

Hyundai Motor set to deepen robotics, AI partnership with Nvidia - The Korea Times

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks during a press conference at Computex 2026 in Taipei, Tuesday. AFP-Yonhap Hyundai Motor Group is expected to expand its artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics partnership with Nvidia, as the heads of the two tech firms are highly likely to meet in Seoul later this week -- a move that will strengthen growth momentum for the carmaker's autonomous driving and humanoid robotics. The high-profile meeting would focus on deepening collaboration in the two key technology areas. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is scheduled to visit Seoul in the coming days. Boston Dynamics, the maker of the Atlas humanoid robot, is at the center of the anticipated collaboration. The company is a major robotics affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group. The carmaker has been advancing Atlas as an industrial-grade humanoid platform, as part of its efforts to become one of the world's most aggressive manufacturing players in the emerging physical AI field, which combines AI with robots designed to operate in real-world environments. The two companies formalized their cooperation at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit last year, when they announced a partnership to develop AI factory-based mobility solutions by integrating Nvidia's AI infrastructure with Hyundai's manufacturing and mobility ecosystem. Huang also expressed hope that Nvidia would play a larger role in advancing Korea's robotics industry during the Korea Partner Night event at GTC Taipei 2026 on Monday, saying the company is willing to expand its investment in Korea. Industry officials said the upcoming gathering between the two tech moguls will yield a deepening of that arrangement, particularly around Boston Dynamics' efforts to deploy AI-powered robots in industrial settings. Nvidia has also aggressively pursued partnerships with automakers and robotics firms, as part of its push into physical AI. "The relationship between the two firms has been building steadily, and Jensen Huang's Seoul visit could mark a pivotal moment in terms of concrete deliverables," an official from the industry said. "Both firms have strong incentives to go deeper into autonomous driving and robotics." Hyundai Motor Group could adopt Nvidia's autonomous driving platform, Alpamayo, as the carmaker is rushing to close its lingering gap with its overseas rivals in self-driving technology. The group has lagged behind its rivals, such as Tesla and Chinese carmakers, in rolling out commercially viable autonomous systems. The possible partnership with Nvidia's AI-based autonomous driving platform could offer a shortcut to catching up. Huang's Korea visit comes amid a broader tour of Asia, during which the chip giant's chief has met with top executives from leading technology companies. Korea, home to major semiconductor and electronics players, has recently become a more crucial partner for Nvidia, as demand for AI computing infrastructure across the globe continues to surge. Hyundai Motor Group declined to confirm specific agendas for the upcoming meeting between Chung and Huang.