The Ministry of Science and ICT and NVIDIA are strengthening their collaboration to expand AI infrastructure and nurture the ecosystem. NVIDIA has committed to prioritizing South Korea as a key supplier of graphics processing units (GPUs) and has positively discussed the possibility of hosting GTC Korea.
During a briefing following the NVIDIA Korea AI ecosystem reception at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on June 8, Vice Minister Baek Kyung-hoon stated, "We have secured priority GPU supply from NVIDIA for South Korea. We will receive the planned quantities without disruption, and we will also ensure the supply of GPUs needed for future projects."
However, he added that the government must prepare for any additional supply needs.
On the same day, Vice Minister Baek and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang exchanged views on the competitiveness of South Korea's AI industry. Baek noted, "CEO Huang identified South Korea's strengths as its cultural capacity to rapidly adopt new technologies and trends, its geopolitical position amid U.S.-China competition, and its global manufacturing and industrial competitiveness. He assessed that South Korea could generate significant synergy when AI integrates with industry."
The two sides also discussed cooperation in the field of Physical AI. Baek expressed confidence that while South Korea may lag in large language models (LLMs), it has the potential to lead the global market in Physical AI. He stated, "NVIDIA has also committed to actively supporting the establishment of a Physical AI ecosystem centered in South Korea."
Regarding the competitiveness of domestic AI semiconductors, Baek emphasized the commercialization potential of neural processing units (NPUs). He remarked, "NPUs have already entered the commercialization stage and are being validated for performance. While GPUs are primarily used for training, NPUs will mainly be utilized for inference services, with significant market entry expected to begin this year."
Discussions also covered plans to expand investment in the domestic AI ecosystem. Baek stated, "To become one of the top three AI powerhouses, it is crucial to enhance not only semiconductors and infrastructure but also the competitiveness of AI services. The government plans to promote increased investment in AI services." He added, "As South Korea is poised to become a major market for NVIDIA GPUs, we have proposed that NVIDIA participate in investments in the domestic AI ecosystem."
On the potential for hosting NVIDIA's annual developer conference, GTC, in South Korea, Baek said, "There were very positive discussions regarding the possibility of GTC Korea. CEO Huang is also positively considering hosting it in South Korea as part of expanding the AI ecosystem."
Regarding the possibility of South Korea receiving additional benefits in the GPU supply process compared to countries like Japan and Taiwan, Baek noted, "NVIDIA views South Korea as a country with significant potential to grow into an AI powerhouse, and various support measures may be considered."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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