On the eve of the AI summit in the United States, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won met again with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. The two sides engaged in in-depth discussions on collaborative directions, including next-generation memory development and AI infrastructure investment. They reaffirmed their long-term partnership, further solidifying the deep integration of both companies within the AI supply chain.
On July 24, local time, the two parties held a dinner in Woodside, California. SK hynix CEO Kwak No-jung, along with executives from SK Telecom and NVIDIA, attended the event. NVIDIA stated that the meeting was intended to commemorate their long-standing cooperation and to advance the implementation of AI collaboration topics agreed upon during Huang's visit to South Korea in June.
For the market, this high-level interaction sends a strong signal that SK hynix's position as a core HBM supplier for NVIDIA's AI chips remains secure. It also reinforces investor expectations that SK-affiliated companies will continue to benefit from the AI industry chain over the long term.
Meanwhile, NVIDIA will further promote AI ecosystem cooperation with the South Korean government, businesses, and research institutions at the San Francisco AI Summit. NVIDIA indicated that South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, along with major Korean entrepreneurs and researchers, will discuss the development direction of South Korea's AI industry with NVIDIA and its ecosystem partners.
The SK-NVIDIA Cooperation Framework Continues to Deepen
According to reports from South Korean media outlet The Financial News, this meeting serves as a continuation and concretization of the cooperation discussions held during Huang's visit to Korea in June. Currently, the two companies are advancing collaboration in three major areas built around NVIDIA's AI platform: AI infrastructure, Personal AI, and Physical AI.
SK hynix will co-develop next-generation memory products in line with NVIDIA's AI infrastructure roadmap. As generative AI models continue to scale, high-performance memory like HBM has become a critical bottleneck for AI servers. As NVIDIA's primary HBM supplier, SK hynix is well-positioned to benefit from the ongoing expansion of AI computing power.
SK Telecom is collaborating with NVIDIA on infrastructure for Physical AI and robotics technology. It also plans to build an AI factory in South Korea, with the goal of commencing operations next year.
Additionally, NVIDIA and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have announced the establishment of an AI research center, the first of its kind in South Korea founded by a domestic university and a global technology company. The center will be located at KAIST's Kim Jae-chul AI Graduate School and will focus on advancing innovative Agentic AI technology in South Korea.
According to NVIDIA, this collaboration will combine its full-stack AI technology capabilities, the Nemotron open-source model, and computing resources from NVIDIA's AI cloud partners. Together with KAIST's top-tier research team, the initiative aims to build a talent and technology system for the future of AI research.
Notably, Madison Huang, NVIDIA's Senior Director of Marketing for Omniverse and Robotics, who is also Jensen Huang's eldest daughter, attended the dinner. This further underscores the deep-rooted nature of the partnership.
South Korean Tech Leaders Gather in Silicon Valley to Accelerate AI Strategy
Chey Tae-won's trip to the U.S. is part of a broader collective visit by senior figures from South Korea's technology industry.
In addition to Chey, other South Korean tech leaders, including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, and Naver Founder Lee Hae-jin, will hold a series of meetings with global tech company heads in Silicon Valley. This constitutes a rare, concerted industrial diplomacy effort by South Korea's corporate sector in recent years.
During the AI Summit, Jensen Huang is also scheduled to meet with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. He will also engage in discussions with key global AI figures, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and Broadcom CEO. The summit is viewed externally as a critical milestone for the South Korean government in promoting international AI cooperation.
According to South Korean media outlet The Dong-A Ilbo, President Lee Jae-myung will attend the AI summit and dinner he is hosting, and will meet with key leaders of global AI companies. Through this event, the South Korean government aims to strengthen cooperative ties with global AI firms and foster the development of its domestic AI ecosystem.
This coordinated political and business delegation to the U.S. reflects Seoul's accelerating efforts to elevate its AI strategic position. Amid the intensifying global competition for AI infrastructure, South Korean companies like SK, Samsung, and Hyundai are working to secure a more advantageous position in the next phase of the AI industry chain battle by deepening their ties with U.S. tech giants like NVIDIA.
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