NVIDIA has officially announced the establishment of a research and development (R&D) center in Seoul. This move is seen as a strategic effort to expand AI infrastructure in collaboration with major South Korean companies, including its key partners Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, as well as LG Electronics, Naver, and Hyundai Motor Company.
According to industry sources, Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, stated during his visit to South Korea on June 5, "South Korea is an optimal location for R&D investment due to its world-class expertise in AI and robotics manufacturing," confirming plans to build the R&D center in Seoul.
In line with this initiative, NVIDIA has begun recruiting researchers with PhDs and over five years of experience in 'Physical AI' and 'Foundation Model Building' since last month. Analysts suggest that NVIDIA's choice of Seoul as a hub for next-generation AI software and application technologies is part of a 'two-track strategy' aimed at penetrating the Asia-Pacific region, especially as the company is also working on establishing a second headquarters in Taiwan.
The establishment of NVIDIA's R&D center in South Korea has been a significant project developed through close communication with the government since early this year. In January, when NVIDIA announced plans to set up a new graphics processing unit (GPU) and AI hub in Asia, Ryu Je-myung, the Deputy Minister of Science and ICT, traveled to Silicon Valley to negotiate with key executives, facilitating discussions about the center's establishment. Reports indicate that the government's proactive approach, including support for AI-related infrastructure and regulatory easing, played a crucial role in finalizing the decision to establish the R&D center in Seoul.
NVIDIA's selection of South Korea as a key foothold for its expansion into Asia is largely attributed to the presence of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which possess world-leading memory semiconductor technologies. These companies dominate the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market, which is essential for NVIDIA's advanced AI accelerators, making Seoul a strategic location for collaboration.
Industry experts predict that the NVIDIA R&D center in Seoul will significantly accelerate the development timeline for next-generation HBM products by enabling real-time communication with research facilities at Samsung and SK Hynix from the foundational research phase. The combination of NVIDIA's design capabilities with South Korea's manufacturing and processing strengths is expected to create powerful synergies that address supply chain risks in next-generation AI semiconductors and lead global standards.
The role of the South Korean R&D center will extend beyond semiconductor collaboration. NVIDIA aims to build a hyper-connected AI platform that encompasses South Korea's advanced industrial ecosystem. Collaboration with LG Electronics, which is rapidly transitioning its home appliances and automotive components to AI, is anticipated. NVIDIA plans to integrate its software architecture into LG's smart appliance infrastructure and automotive components, aiming to establish a leading 'edge AI' ecosystem that spans smart homes and mobility.
Collaboration with Naver is also expected, focusing on the enhancement of large-scale AI models and the optimization of data center infrastructure in Asia. The combination of Naver's hyperscale data center 'Gak Sejong' with NVIDIA's technology could establish standards for high-efficiency, low-power AI data centers optimized for the Asian market.
Furthermore, NVIDIA plans to collaborate with Hyundai Motor Group, which is advancing autonomous driving technology, on the development of automotive semiconductors and autonomous driving algorithms. The company is also exploring partnerships with domestic entertainment and content firms, including the popular eSports team T1, to integrate AI technologies. This initiative represents the formation of a 'Korean AI coalition' that leverages the mobility, home appliance, platform, and content data held by South Korean companies on NVIDIA's hardware engine, moving beyond mere manufacturing partnerships.
An industry insider remarked, "NVIDIA's establishment of a core R&D hub in South Korea signifies its intention to make the country the heart of AI infrastructure expansion in Asia. This could pave the way for a massive Korean AI value chain, spanning from semiconductors to software and services, to lead the global market."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.