President Lee Jae-myung met with Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang on the 24th and said, "I believe and expect that you will play an even more central role going forward as Korea enters the golden age of artificial intelligence (AI)." Huang pledged cooperation with Korean companies, including a business partnership with SK Group worth $500 billion (about 730 trillion won).
Lee held a one-on-one meeting with Huang at a hotel in downtown San Francisco. After referring to the three major mega-projects recently announced, he stressed, "We are preparing a new society and a new nation centered on artificial intelligence (AI)," adding, "I hope CEO Huang will continue to play a major role." In response, Huang said, "SK Group and Nvidia will announce a business partnership between the two companies," noting, "The scale reaches $500 billion."
Huang then drew attention by introducing a series of investment and collaboration possibilities with Korean companies. He said, "SK hynix, Samsung Electronics and Nvidia are pursuing a partnership on chip design and memory design. We are also making a large-scale investment in Naver." He added, "Naver is Korea's leading cloud company, and through the partnership we plan to support its expansion not only in Korea but also around the world."
Huang also said, "Through a partnership with Hyundai, we plan to jointly develop self-driving Genesis vehicles and to work together on robotics," and added, "With LG, we are jointly developing power systems, as well as systems that can be used in factories and homes."
Lee also expressed his gratitude to Huang that day. Lee said, "Thanks to your smooth supply of graphics processing units (GPUs), which you promised at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, we are now changing very rapidly even though we were not prepared." He added, "We are preparing a new nation by launching the three major mega-projects, and I hope CEO Huang will continue to play a major role."
Referring to the "chicken and beer gathering" that Huang had held with Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Euisun Chung, Lee said, "I saw it on broadcasts several times, and I wanted to join too, so it was a bit disappointing," adding, "Every time I see you, I always think you are truly full of energy." In response, Huang praised the achievements and determination of the Korean people and partner companies, saying, "The energy I was able to feel in Korea, from fried chicken to samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), was truly amazing."
