Lee to Jensen Huang on "Supplying 260,000 GPUs": "Korea Is an AI Testbed...It Will Succeed" (Comprehensive) [Gyeongju APEC]

Lee Meets with Jensen Huang, Creates Friendly Atmosphere with "Chimaek" Gathering Mention
Nvidia to Supply 260,000 GPUs to Korea, Collaborating with Four Major Companies

President Lee Jaemyung met with Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, and secured a promise to supply more than 260,000 of the latest graphics processing units (GPUs). Referring to the October 30th "chimaek" (chicken and beer) meeting with Jensen Huang, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jaeyong, and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun, President Lee created a friendly atmosphere by saying, "I should have been there too."

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On October 31 at the HICO Convention Center in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, President Lee told CEO Huang, "I am confident that Korea is a testbed that will lead the era of artificial intelligence, and even if it is used as a proving ground, it will never fail but achieve great success."

Chairman Lee Jaeyong of Samsung Electronics, Chairman Chey Taewon of SK Group, Chairman Chung Euisun of Hyundai Motor Group, and Chairman Lee Haejin of Naver also attended the meeting between President Lee and CEO Huang.

Nvidia to Supply 260,000 GPUs to Korea...Collaborating with Four Major Companies Including Samsung

Nvidia plans to supply a total of more than 260,000 of its latest GPUs to the Korean government (50,000 units) and domestic companies to support the development of Korea's AI infrastructure. In addition to hardware installation, the company will also collaborate on technology for building and operating these systems. Previously, President Lee had pledged as a presidential candidate to secure at least 50,000 high-performance GPUs.

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Nvidia also announced plans for physical AI technology cooperation with major Korean companies such as Samsung Electronics, SK, Hyundai Motor, and Naver. Earlier, Nvidia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Science and ICT and Hyundai Motor to enhance Korea's physical AI capabilities. The MoU includes a joint investment of 3 billion dollars (about 4.3 trillion won) by Nvidia and Hyundai Motor in the domestic physical AI sector. Hyundai Motor and Nvidia will jointly promote the development of physical AI technologies such as AI autonomous vehicles and AI autonomous manufacturing, as well as the training of specialized talent. With Naver, the focus will be on strengthening competitiveness in the mobility industry and physical AI, including cloud and AI-based software-defined vehicles (SDVs).

SK and Samsung Electronics are actively investing in physical AI using Nvidia's GPUs. Chairman Chey said, "Nvidia has recently created an incredible digital tool called Omniverse," adding, "SK aims to create a platform that will enable the manufacturing industry to be innovated by AI through the digital twin concept." He continued, "This platform will not be used exclusively by SK, but will also be available to the public sector and startups." Samsung Electronics announced plans to drive innovation together in areas such as generative AI, digital twins, Omniverse, semiconductor AI factories, and robotics, and to expand cooperation into diverse fields such as new drug development platforms and supercomputers.

Nvidia is also pursuing technological cooperation with Korean academia and research institutions to develop advanced AI-based technologies. The company will work with research institutes such as the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) to build a quantum hybrid computing environment for Korea's sixth supercomputer (Hangang). Nvidia will also collaborate with Samsung Electronics, the three major telecommunications companies (SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus), the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), and Yonsei University to develop and commercialize intelligent base station (AI-RAN) technology.

In addition, Nvidia has agreed to cooperate on a mid- to long-term basis to foster domestic AI talent, including expanding practical, hands-on training for AI professionals and engineers. The company will also continue its support for startups, including the 'N-UP' program currently being promoted with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

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Explaining Korea's AI competitiveness, CEO Huang said, "Korea already has very deep technological capabilities and successful entrepreneurs. That's why I believe there is no other country in the world with such outstanding industrial capabilities as Korea."

CEO Huang added, "I've been asked by many reporters what I would be announcing," and continued, "If I had to say, I would say that Jensen Huang is starting AI-related investments in Korea." President Lee responded, "Isn't that really something big?" and highly praised Nvidia's investment in Korea, bringing laughter to the gathering.

Lee: "The Entire Nation Watched the Meeting of Jensen Huang, Lee Jaeyong, and Chung Euisun"

President Lee lightened the mood by referring to the previous day's "chimaek" meeting at Kanbu Chicken in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, attended by CEO Huang, Chairman Lee, and Chairman Chung. President Lee told CEO Huang, "You are so famous in Korea that we see you in the news almost every day," adding, "Yesterday, the whole nation watched you eating chicken at a chicken restaurant."

When President Lee added, "Moreover, Chairman Lee even rang the golden bell," CEO Huang pointed to Chairman Lee and Chairman Chung, who were also present, and said, "There are my chimaek buddies," drawing laughter. President Lee smiled and said, "I hope Nvidia will expand its investment in Korea, and that it will be such a great success that the entire nation will ring the golden bell."

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During the remarks by the business leaders present, Chairman Lee said, "Thanks to the President's passion and support, this meeting will serve as a turning point for all Korean companies, including Nvidia and Samsung, to forge new relationships and usher in a new era." He continued, "Samsung and Nvidia have been working together for over 25 years, and (pointing to CEO Huang) the two of us have been friends for more than 20 years. As you mentioned, we had chimaek together yesterday, and for the first time in my life, Jensen had me ring the golden bell."

When President Lee said, "I should have been there too," CEO Huang turned to Chairman Lee and joked, "Did you hear that? The President wants to join us next time," making everyone laugh.