NVIDIA CEO's Seoul Trip to Meet SK Group Chairman Marks Fourth High-Level Encounter in Six Months

Deep News06-02 16:10

The high-level engagement between NVIDIA and SK Group is intensifying at an exceptional pace.

According to an official statement from SK Group, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won held discussions in Taipei on June 1, delving into cooperation prospects within the AI memory sector. This marked their third meeting this year. Industry insiders now reveal that Huang plans to arrive in Seoul this Thursday, with a series of meetings scheduled for Friday with leaders of major Korean conglomerates, which would constitute their fourth encounter within a six-month period.

The Taipei meeting coincided with the historic milestone of SK Hynix's market capitalization surpassing 1 trillion dollars. The executives discussed the significance of this achievement and reaffirmed their commitment to jointly pioneering new frontiers in AI infrastructure.

Market attention is highly focused on Huang's impending Seoul visit. Analysts suggest the talks may expand beyond AI chip collaboration to encompass robotics and physical AI domains.

Notably, SK Hynix Chairman Chey Tae-won stated at the Computex exhibition in Taipei today that the company plans to double its memory production capacity over the next five years to help alleviate the severe supply-demand imbalance for memory chips. Chey maintains that the memory shortage will persist until 2030.

The Taipei Meeting: Capitalizing on SK Hynix's Trillion-Dollar Valuation

This Taipei meeting occurred during the Computex event. Chey Tae-won and SK Hynix CEO and President Kwak Noh-Jung attended the opening of "GTC Taipei 2026" on June 1, where they listened to Jensen Huang's keynote address live.

During his speech, Huang outlined the mass production roadmap for the next-generation GPU platform "Vera Rubin" and detailed NVIDIA's partnership strategy in the Asia-Pacific region. Following the keynote, the executives immediately convened for a private business meeting. SK Group posted on its Facebook account that the gathering aimed to "jointly review the achievements of the two companies in AI memory and reaffirm their commitment to pioneering new areas of AI infrastructure together."

It is also noteworthy that during his Taipei visit, Huang participated in a "Korean Partners" event. In an interview with Korean media, he specifically outlined the four key factors required to address the complexities of High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and emphasized the importance of maintaining close cooperation with SK Hynix.

The commercial context of this meeting is equally significant. Reports indicate that NVIDIA has signed new HBM supply contracts with memory chip manufacturers, including SK Hynix.

Market speculation suggests that, given NVIDIA's plans to adopt sixth-generation HBM (HBM4) in its new "Vera Rubin" AI computing platform slated for launch in the second half of the year, pricing for the new round of HBM supply contracts may have increased substantially, potentially by up to 100%. If confirmed, this would provide a material boost to SK Hynix's profit outlook.

Seoul Itinerary Expands to Include More Tycoons, Highlighting Frequent Engagements

According to industry sources, Jensen Huang is scheduled to arrive in Seoul late Thursday night, with a series of high-level meetings planned for Friday. In addition to Chey Tae-won, expected attendees include LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, Naver founder and board chairman Lee Hae-jin, and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, who is reportedly actively considering participation.

Industry observers note that the agenda for these talks is expected to extend beyond AI semiconductor cooperation into robotics and physical AI—an emerging field focused on integrating artificial intelligence with real-world machines and systems. Huang has previously identified robotics as a potential investment topic for his Korea trip.

The frequency of meetings between Huang and Chey is unusual in the industry. Following a meeting in Silicon Valley in February last year, the pair met again at the GTC 2026 conference in San Jose this March, with the Taipei meeting being their third this year. If the Seoul trip proceeds as planned, it will bring the total to four meetings within half a year.

During his Taipei interview, Huang, in his characteristic relaxed style, previewed his Seoul行程: "I might go to Korea to eat fried chicken or grilled pork belly." This echoes his visit to Seoul last October, where he shared "fried chicken and beer" with Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Euisun Chung.

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