Jensen Huang: "Will Cooperate with Samsung and SK for 33 More Years"

"Korea's Manufacturing Capabilities Are World-Class, Not Just a Matter of Reliance"
"AI Capability and Safety Advance Together"

Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, has expressed his commitment to continuing long-term artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation with Korean companies, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. He also assessed the expansion of production by Korean companies in the United States positively, highlighting its benefits for supply chain stability, Korea-U.S. relations, and job creation.

Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, held a meeting with Korean correspondents and answered questions at the Korea Society Annual Gala held on the 28th (local time) in New York, USA. New York, USA – Photo by Yoonju Hwang

On the 28th (local time) after the Korea Society Annual Gala held in New York, CEO Huang met with correspondents and said, "We have been developing products with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix for years. Building AI factory infrastructure worth hundreds of billions of dollars is not something that can be planned just months in advance, so we need to work together and develop technology with a multi-year perspective."

"33 Years Working with Korea... And 33 More Ahead"

CEO Huang explained that NVIDIA is collaborating with not just Samsung Electronics or SK hynix, but also LG, Hyundai Motor, and others across various fields. He said, "NVIDIA technology is also used in the fabs of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Cooperation with Korea, both as a technology provider and user, is extremely broad, deep, and long-term. I have worked with Korea for 33 years, and I plan to work with Korean companies for another 33 years."

CEO Huang also predicted that Korea's role would become even more significant as the AI industry expands. "We are at the starting point of building the largest industrial infrastructure in human history," he said. "Korea possesses a world-class semiconductor industry and the world's best memory technology. The AI era will require more memory than ever before in history," he emphasized.

He continued, "Korea has a strong manufacturing base and productive capacity. Manufacturing will be transformed through AI, robotics, and physical AI. Korea will play a tremendously important role, not only in producing AI technology but also in leveraging AI to innovate its own industries."

CEO Huang also addressed the so-called 'circular investment' controversy surrounding NVIDIA. He said, "NVIDIA plays a central role in creating the AI ecosystem and invests across all five layers. Just as we used to secure DRAM for the supply chain, we must now invest in land and electricity required for data centers," he explained.

He added, "Ultimately, what is needed is a place to install computers and the power for them to run. Securing land and electricity benefits SK and Samsung because this gives them confidence that the memory they manufacture for NVIDIA will become actual computers and be installed in data centers."

"Don't Slow AI Development for Safety"... Also Highlights Power Investment 

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, held a Q&A session with Korean correspondents at the Korea Society Annual Gala held in New York, USA, on the 28th (local time). New York, USA – Photo by Yoonju Hwang

On the topic of AI safety regulation, CEO Huang repeatedly stated that technological advancement, not slowing development, is the way to enhance safety. "To ensure AI safety, we need to accelerate AI development," he said. "AI capability and safety are not mutually exclusive; they progress together."

Referencing the early days of hallucination with ChatGPT, he said, "Today's AI hallucinates far less than before, precisely because frontier AI technology has advanced. Safety and capability are not distinct from one another," he emphasized.

He also mentioned the need for industry-wide standards. CEO Huang said, "As we expect a certain level of safety, functionality, quality, and reliability from airplanes or cars, the same can be demanded from AI. It is desirable for an ecosystem of external auditors, testers, benchmarking, and review industries to emerge."

He went on to say, "Since the industry understands the technology fastest, the industry should propose standards and ideas first, which the government can then institutionalize to establish global benchmarks."

CEO Huang stated, "With data centers, necessary power generation facilities must be added alongside computing investment." Regarding the enormous electricity demand, he noted, "The market mechanism and new power generation investment can address this." He added, "This is driving improvements to aging power grids and significantly increasing investment in a range of sustainable energies, including nuclear, solar, and hydroelectric power."

He did admit, however, that communication with communities where data centers are located has been insufficient. "As a new neighbor and guest, we should have explained our plans better to the local community and enabled residents to participate in the success and prosperity of the AI industry," CEO Huang said. "The industry is doing much better today than two or three years ago, but there is still more work to be done going forward," he added.

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