Nvidia CEO's Korea trip spotlights AI alliances
· UPIMay 31 (Asia Today) -- Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang is expected to visit South Korea this week after events in Taiwan, drawing attention from Korean business leaders as artificial intelligence partnerships expand beyond semiconductors into servers, robotics, cloud services and displays.
Industry officials said Huang is scheduled to deliver the keynote address Monday at GTC Taipei before meeting major customers and partners during Computex 2026, Asia's largest information technology exhibition. Nvidia said Huang's GTC Taipei keynote will focus on the latest developments in AI and accelerated computing.
Huang is also expected to meet representatives of major Korean companies during events in Taiwan, including Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, Hyundai Motor, LG Electronics, Naver Cloud and Doosan Robotics. Seoul Economic Daily reported that Nvidia plans to host its first "Korea Partner Night" in Taipei, bringing together Korean partners across chips, robotics and cloud computing.
The meetings are being watched closely because Huang's comments can affect market expectations for Korean companies tied to Nvidia's AI supply chain.
The biggest focus remains semiconductors. Huang is expected to discuss Nvidia's next-generation Rubin AI accelerator platform, which will shape demand for high-bandwidth memory and other advanced components. Computex is expected to highlight Nvidia's data center technologies, including the Vera Rubin AI platform and CPU.
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are competing for leadership in the next stage of the high-bandwidth memory market. Samsung recently began shipping samples of its advanced 12-layer HBM4E memory chips to customers.
SK hynix remains one of Nvidia's key high-bandwidth memory partners and is expected to continue supplying advanced memory for AI accelerators. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won is expected to attend events in Taiwan and meet Huang, according to industry reports.
Industry officials said the agenda will likely go beyond memory chips. As demand grows for AI PCs, AI servers and robotics, Korean display makers and electronics companies could also expand cooperation with Nvidia. Samsung Display and LG Display are expected to seek new business opportunities linked to AI hardware and next-generation computing devices.
Huang is also expected to visit South Korea after the Taiwan events, about eight months after his previous visit in October. Korean business circles expect discussions to include sovereign AI, AI data centers and physical AI, a term used to describe AI systems applied to machines such as robots, vehicles and industrial equipment.
Naver is expected to be discussed as a potential partner in sovereign AI and AI data centers. LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor and Doosan Robotics could be involved in talks on robotics and physical AI applications.
Business leaders said the trip could help raise the status of Korean companies in Nvidia's global AI value chain. Cooperation that once centered mainly on memory chips is expanding into data centers, software, robotics and other parts of the AI ecosystem.
For Korean companies, the challenge is to move beyond component supply and become broader strategic partners in the Nvidia-led AI infrastructure boom.
-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260601010009190