Gyeongju: President Lee Jae Myung met with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Friday to discuss the expansion of cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. This meeting coincided with Nvidia's announcement of a significant investment plan in South Korea, marking a substantial advancement in the nation's AI capabilities.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Nvidia plans to deploy up to 260,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) in South Korea. This initiative will be a collaborative effort with the South Korean government and major South Korean businesses, allocating 50,000 units specifically for public sector use.
The initiative includes partnerships with Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group, and Naver Cloud. Each of these entities will establish AI computing centers powered by Nvidia's latest Blackwell GPUs, underscoring the strategic importance of this collaboration.
The meeting took place during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, as South Korea intensifies its efforts to enhance AI infrastructure and applications. This is part of the country's broader vision to become one of the world's top three AI powers.
President Lee expressed South Korea's ambition to emerge as the "AI capital" of the Asia-Pacific region. He noted that global firms like BlackRock and OpenAI have committed to projects aimed at making South Korea a regional AI hub.
In his opening remarks, Lee emphasized the importance of Nvidia's participation in creating a robust AI ecosystem where infrastructure, technology, and investment are mutually reinforcing. The meeting was attended by prominent figures, including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, and Naver founder and board chair Lee Hae-jin.
Lee highlighted that while Nvidia propels the speed of AI innovation, Korea is uniquely positioned to harness that speed effectively and guide innovation in the right direction.