NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's visit to South Korea is expanding to include major domestic manufacturing companies. While last year's trip focused on assessing the AI memory supply chain with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, this year's agenda includes collaborations with Hyundai Motor, LG, and Doosan in the automotive, electronics, robotics, and AI infrastructure sectors.
On June 7, Huang had lunch with Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun at Woo Rae Oak in central Seoul. In the afternoon, he met with representatives from gaming companies Krafton and NCSoft before throwing the first pitch at a Doosan Bears game, where he also met with Doosan Group Chairman Park Jung-won. On June 5, he had a gathering with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin near Hongdae, where they enjoyed samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly).
The key takeaway from this visit is that NVIDIA's partnerships in South Korea are expanding beyond memory semiconductors to include AI in manufacturing. NVIDIA is strengthening its supply chain for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) from Samsung and SK Hynix while broadening its connections with domestic manufacturing giants as AI technology spreads into automotive, robotics, factories, and data centers.
Collaboration with Hyundai is expected to focus on autonomous driving, software-defined vehicles (SDVs), and robotics. The partnership with Doosan will center on robotics and industrial automation, as Doosan Robotics specializes in collaborative robots and aims to grow in the industrial automation sector. There is also significant potential for collaboration with LG in AI infrastructure, electronics, and smart home technologies.
LG has a comprehensive business portfolio that includes power, air conditioning, cooling, electronics, and spatial solutions necessary for AI data centers. Koo Kwang-mo's participation in the June 5 gathering highlights that the partnership with NVIDIA extends beyond simple component supply to encompass AI infrastructure and applications in manufacturing.
NVIDIA is transitioning from being solely an AI semiconductor company to a platform company that encompasses robotics, autonomous driving, digital twins, AI factories, and data center infrastructure. The goal is to move AI from data centers into real-world industrial applications. Under this strategy, the memory alliance with Samsung and SK Hynix is crucial, as any disruption in the HBM supply chain could impact NVIDIA's product roadmap.
Industry insiders view Huang's series of meetings as a process of realigning AI partnerships among Korean companies. Samsung and SK will handle HBM and advanced memory, Hyundai will focus on mobility and robotics, LG will manage AI infrastructure and electronics/smart homes, and Doosan will oversee industrial robotics. An industry source stated, "While last year's visit was focused on confirming the HBM-centered semiconductor supply chain, this year's agenda aims to integrate the entire Korean manufacturing sector into the AI ecosystem. NVIDIA's concept of physical AI connects automotive, robotics, factories, and data centers, indicating that future collaborations with domestic companies will expand significantly."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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