Nvidia turns to South Korea for AI chips and robotics partnership

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang arrived in South Korea for his second visit in seven months, focusing on expanding AI and robotics collaborations. South Korea’s tech giants, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, dominate the global market for memory chips critical to Nvidia’s AI hardware, making the country a key partner. Huang’s trip highlights South Korea’s role in ‘physical AI,’ integrating AI into robotics, autonomous vehicles, and automated factories. He emphasized potential partnerships to address the country’s labor shortages and population decline, aligning with President Lee Jae Myung’s push to rank South Korea among the world’s top three AI powers. Last October, Nvidia secured a deal to supply over 260,000 high-end AI processors to the South Korean government and major corporations. Huang’s itinerary includes meetings with executives from SK Group, Hyundai Motor, LG Group, and Naver to deepen tech manufacturing ties. The visit also includes public engagements, such as an appearance on a popular TV talk show and throwing the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game. These efforts reflect Nvidia’s strategy to strengthen its presence in South Korea amid growing trade tensions between the U.S. and China, which restrict Nvidia’s ability to sell advanced AI chips there.