President Lee: "At the Outset of the Golden Age of AI"... Jensen Huang: "$500 Billion Partnership with SK"

President Lee Meets Jensen Huang in San Francisco, USA
Nvidia to Collaborate with Samsung and SK hynix on Chip and Memory Design; Large-Scale Investment in Naver
AI Frontier Lab to Be Established in Korea; Korea-Specific LLM to Be Developed with

During his visit to San Francisco, President Lee Jae-myung requested on the 24th (local time) that NVIDIA play an even more central role as South Korea enters a golden era of artificial intelligence (AI), speaking with Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA.

President Lee Jae-myung greeted Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, ahead of their meeting on the 24th (local time) in San Francisco, USA. 2026.7.25 Yonhap News Agency
Photo by Yonhap News Agency

In response, CEO Jensen Huang announced that SK Group and NVIDIA would unveil a business partnership worth 500 billion dollars, and laid out comprehensive plans for investment and collaboration with major Korean companies such as Samsung Electronics, Naver, Hyundai Motor Group, and LG, spanning from AI semiconductors to autonomous driving and robotics. He also revealed plans to establish an “AI Frontier Lab” in Korea, with participation from NVIDIA’s core AI researchers, and to develop a large language model (LLM) tailored for Korea in partnership with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).

In his conversation with CEO Jensen Huang, President Lee stated, “The whole world is on the brink of fundamental change, and you are leading the way. South Korea, too, is preparing for a completely different world with AI at its center.” He added, “Thanks to the smooth supply of GPUs as promised during the recent APEC summit, we have been able to move forward rapidly, even though we were not fully prepared.”

The president also introduced the government’s new “three mega-projects,” which are being launched after a year of preparation, and emphasized, “I hope you will continue to play a major role in preparing for a new society and nation where AI is at the core.”

President Lee also referenced CEO Jensen Huang’s recent “chimaek” (fried chicken and beer) gathering in Seoul with Korean business leaders, expressing his familiarity and friendly sentiment. “I saw you enjoying chimaek in Seoul on TV several times. I wanted to join, but unfortunately could not,” he said. “Whenever I see you, I feel a surge of energy.”

CEO Jensen Huang responded by noting that the president’s “AI native nation” vision has brought new energy to Korean society. He said, “Last month, I visited Seoul to celebrate the achievements made over the past year with our partners. The energy I felt in Korea—from fried chicken to pork belly—was truly amazing. The Korean people genuinely love AI.”

He also described plans for next-generation semiconductor collaboration with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. “SK Group and NVIDIA will announce a business partnership, which is valued at 500 billion dollars,” he said. “SK hynix, Samsung, and NVIDIA will pursue partnerships in chip design and memory design.”

President Lee Jae-myung is taking a commemorative photo before meeting with Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, in San Francisco, USA on the 24th (local time). 2026.7.25 Yonhap News
Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding Naver, he announced significant investments. He described Naver as Korea’s leading cloud company and explained, “Through this partnership, we plan not only to expand in Korea, but to support global expansion as well.” With Hyundai Motor Group, NVIDIA will co-develop autonomous Genesis vehicles and collaborate in robotics. With LG, the plan is to develop AI-based systems and power solutions for use in both factories and homes.

CEO Jensen Huang also announced plans to develop Korea as a major hub for NVIDIA’s AI research and development. “We are launching the AI Frontier Lab in Korea,” he said. “Leading AI researchers from NVIDIA will move from California to Korea.” He added, “To build Korea AI, we will partner with KAIST and have plans to develop a Korean LLM in Korea, for Korea.”

CEO Jensen Huang emphasized that NVIDIA is establishing partnerships with a diverse range of organizations in Korea, “from large corporations to startups and research and development institutions,” encompassing areas “from AI chip development to physical AI and AI infrastructure.” He said, “All these partnerships align perfectly with the president’s vision for an AI-native nation. Under President Lee’s leadership, Korea has achieved truly remarkable progress in just one year. It would not be an exaggeration to call this Korea’s golden era.”

President Lee replied, “This is just the beginning. South Korea is determined to become the world’s leading nation when it comes to AI and making AI a reality.” He continued, “Many people still think of AI as something confined to the laboratory or code, but soon it will come into the real world and transform the daily lives of everyone. The dawn of the AI golden era is now upon us.”

Regarding Hyundai Motor Group and NVIDIA’s planned robotics partnership, President Lee stated, “Young people in Korea and residents of Jeonbuk Province have enormous expectations.” He added, “NVIDIA and CEO Jensen Huang have already played a major role in Korea’s entry into the AI golden era. I am confident—and expect—that your role going forward will be even more central.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.