Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang forges 'win-win' deals with Korean tech giants during 5-day stay in Seoul

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang spent five days venturing around Seoul to solidify the chipmaker's relationship with major Korean tech companies, without which — he reiterated — it would be "impossible" to build AI supercomputers.

From last Friday to his last day on Tuesday, Huang formalized an expanded partnership with SK hynix on next-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM). He also reaffirmed his will to collaborate with Korean technology firms and the ecosystem through a series of meetings with Hyundai Motor Group, LG Group, Naver and researchers at Seoul National University.

Huang departed for Aberdeen, Scotland, on Tuesday morning via the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center. He was reportedly accompanied by his wife, Lori Huang, and his eldest daughter, Madison Huang, a senior director at Nvidia.

Speaking with reporters shortly before departure, Huang said the trip was “very good.”

“Everybody was very kind […] and my family and I felt truly welcomed,” he said. “Our businesses are booming, and so I need more supplies from them, and we need to build even more supplies in the future. So we had some very good meetings and announced some very good partnerships.”

Huang pinpointed a “multi-year partnership” with SK hynix as the most significant achievement of the visit.  

“We announced a very good win-win deal for both of us, and I'm very happy that we were able to announce that big partnership,” Huang said. “We also announced two AI supercomputers, two AI cloud partnerships, one with Naver and one with SK Telecom. Both of them will be very big.”

Huang especially praised Korea’s technological competence in the global AI industry.

“Our greatest contribution to Korea is inventing the AI industry and creating the ecosystem of AI,” Huang said. “Inside our AI supercomputers, it's impossible to build these advanced supercomputers without the technologies in Korea.”

Huang also stated that he is willing to see the industry grow through a “great partnership” with Korean partners.

During the past four days, Huang had a sweeping tour of Korea’s AI sector.

Upon his arrival on Friday, he attended a dinner with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin. This was followed by an announcement of an expanded partnership with SK hynix on next-gen HBM. 

On Monday, he visited the headquarters of LG Group in western Seoul, Hyundai Motor Group in southern Seoul and Naver in Gyeonggi. He also held private meetings with AI researchers at Seoul National University and executives from Korean robotics and physical AI startups, all of which were seen as a move to broaden the scope of potential collaboration.

Huang’s recent visit proved Korea’s pivotal role in Nvidia’s AI supply chain, business leaders say.

SK hynix and Samsung Electronics occupy critical positions in the HBM market, a technology widely viewed as central to AI chip competitiveness. Naver and SK Telecom are major partners in AI services and data centers, while Hyundai Motor Group and LG Group are positioned as key partners in future mobility and robotics.

Attention has now shifted to Huang’s next destination — Aberdeen in Scotland. The Scottish city, backed by oil development in the North Sea, remains one of Britain’s leading energy hubs. It hosts major operations for global energy companies, including BP and Shell. The city is also considered a center of the offshore wind industry.

Nvidia’s next move could involve energy infrastructure projects as the company has recently accelerated investments in AI factories and large-scale data centers, according to industry observers.

Huang traveled aboard a VistaJet-operated Bombardier Global 7500 private jet, registration number 9H-VIL. The aircraft can fly roughly 17 hours and around 14,260 kilometers (8,860 miles) without refueling — enough to make a non-stop journey from Seoul to Aberdeen.

Huang additionally expressed confidence that Nvidia’s ties with Korea would continue to deepen.

"I felt […] motivated and excited to build the future together with Korea,” Huang said. He additionally noted that he is excited about “big opportunities in robotics, AI infrastructure here in Korea and partnering with the [Korean] companies to expand business outside of Korea.”

While noting that he looks forward to returning to Korea, he added that he has not yet decided whom to meet on his next visit.

“But, of course, I will always see my good friends here,” Huang said.

BY PARK YOUNG-WOO [[email protected]]