On July 24, during President Lee Jae-myung's visit to San Francisco, a $950 billion semiconductor collaboration was announced, combining advanced memory supply and AI chip production efforts between domestic semiconductor firms and global tech giants over the next five years.
According to the Blue House on July 25, this collaboration consists of a $200 billion memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Samsung Electronics and Broadcom, along with a $750 billion long-term supply partnership involving SK and other global tech companies for advanced memory.
Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, stated during a meeting with President Lee that the company plans to collaborate with SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics on chip and memory design, as well as pursue significant investments in Naver.
The collaboration is notable for its expansion beyond high-bandwidth memory (HBM) supply to include AI semiconductor design, foundry services, data centers, large language models (LLM), and physical AI, effectively establishing an 'AI full-stack collaboration network.'
Global tech companies aim to secure a stable supply of advanced memory and production capabilities necessary for operating AI models and data centers, while domestic firms seek to establish long-term demand sources and collaborative technology development.
Huang also revealed plans to support Naver's domestic and international business expansion, collaborate with Hyundai Motor Group on autonomous driving and robotics, and develop AI systems with LG. He proposed establishing an 'AI Frontier Lab' in Korea and relocating NVIDIA researchers to collaborate with KAIST on 'Korea AI.'
Huang praised the comprehensive plan encompassing AI chip development, physical AI, and AI infrastructure, stating it aligns with the President's vision of an 'AI Native Nation.' He added, 'Under the President's leadership, Korea has achieved a great deal in the past year. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is truly Korea's golden age.'
Other tech CEOs also recognized Korea's AI ecosystem and semiconductor competitiveness. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, described Korea as 'one of the most important countries in the world,' noting that its AI programs, including three major mega projects, play a leading role.
Hock Tan, CEO of Broadcom, explained that the company is collaborating with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to develop the latest HBM and solutions that combine Broadcom's AI chips. He expressed a commitment to supplying customized semiconductors necessary for Korean AI models and LLM development, contributing to Korea's sovereign AI initiatives.
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, emphasized the high priority of collaborating with Korean companies and outlined investment plans in memory manufacturing and AI data centers. This reflects a growing recognition that domestic firms are emerging as collaborative partners in building AI infrastructure and services, rather than merely semiconductor suppliers in the global AI supply chain.
It is important to note that the $950 billion figure does not represent immediate investment funds or confirmed revenues. Instead, it is a cumulative figure based on the MOUs and long-term supply collaborations planned over the next five years, necessitating follow-up negotiations to specify actual supply volumes, pricing, production schedules, and foundry contracts.
Securing timely access to power grids, sites, and permits necessary for large-scale AI data center operations, as well as training personnel in AI semiconductor design and software, are also identified as challenges. If subsequent contracts and infrastructure investments proceed as planned, domestic semiconductor companies are expected to secure long-term demand for advanced memory while expanding their business areas into foundry services, customized AI chips, and data centers.
Kim Yong-beom, head of the Blue House Policy Office, stated, 'The government plans to strengthen cooperation between domestic companies and global tech giants through individual meetings, the AI summit, and dinners, aiming to achieve visible results from the three mega projects at an early stage.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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