Nvidia has reached major agreements with South Korea’s top tech and industrial companies to expand the country’s artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
During a visit to Seoul for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang confirmed deals involving Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor, and SK Group. The deals were arranged in partnership with South Korea’s Ministry of Science and aim to boost local AI infrastructure using Nvidia’s powerful accelerator chips.
South Korea’s Big AI Push
As part of the agreements, Nvidia will supply more than 260,000 AI accelerator chips to support Korean AI initiatives. While the financial details were not disclosed, the deal marks one of Nvidia’s largest overseas commitments.
The South Korean government is investing in what it calls “sovereign AI.” This involves developing domestic computing infrastructure to handle advanced AI workloads without relying entirely on foreign platforms. Over 50,000 Nvidia chips will be deployed in public and private data centers, including those operated by Kakao, Naver, and NHN Cloud.
Corporate Commitments From Samsung, Hyundai, and SK
Samsung Electronics plans to build an “AI factory” equipped with more than 50,000 Nvidia chips. Samsung is already a major supplier of memory chips and is now expanding deeper into AI infrastructure.
Hyundai Motor will also use over 50,000 of Nvidia’s Blackwell chips. The processors will support AI model development for manufacturing and autonomous driving technologies.
SK Group, through its affiliates SK Telecom and SK Hynix, will launch Asia’s first so-called “industrial AI cloud.” This platform will use Nvidia RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell server chips to support robotics and other AI-driven applications in physical environments.
Global Expansion for Nvidia
Nvidia has been ramping up global efforts to place its chips at the center of AI development. The South Korean deals follow a string of international moves by the company to secure demand and strengthen its global footprint.
Earlier this week, Nvidia became the first company to reach a US$5 trillion valuation, fueled by strong demand for its AI products. Huang’s international tour, including his stop in South Korea, is part of the company’s aggressive strategy to stay ahead in the competitive AI chip market.
Uncertainty Over China Market
While Nvidia is expanding rapidly in markets like South Korea, questions remain over its ability to sell high-end chips like the Blackwell line to China. Ongoing U.S. export restrictions continue to limit shipments of advanced semiconductors to the Chinese market.
Though former U.S. President Donald Trump has said he might raise the issue with Chinese leadership, no progress was reported following his recent meeting with President Xi Jinping.
Sources: Nvidia, Ministry of Science and ICT (South Korea), Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor, SK Group, Bloomberg, AFP.
