On the morning of the 8th (local time), the SK exhibition hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center Central Hall during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 was busy. While listening to an explanation about SKC's glass substrates from an SK official, Choi Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, suddenly laughed and said, "I just sold it." This remark came after meeting with Jensen Huang, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NVIDIA, before arriving at the exhibition hall.

NVIDIA is the largest customer of SK hynix, which effectively monopolizes the supply of High Bandwidth Memory (HBM). The glass substrate is regarded as a key material for next-generation semiconductors, often referred to as a "dream substrate." Chairman Choi's statement is interpreted to mean that positive discussions were held regarding the supply of not only HBM but also glass substrates during the meeting with CEO Jensen Huang.

Choi Tae-won, the chairman of SK Group, is touring the SK exhibition hall at CES 2025 held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in the United States on Aug. 8 (local time). /Courtesy of SK

Chairman Choi arrived at the Las Vegas Convention Center around 11 a.m. and began his tour starting from the SK exhibition hall. This marked his third consecutive visit to CES since 2023. After completing his meeting with CEO Jensen Huang, he entered the exhibition hall about 10 minutes later than originally scheduled. During a global press conference the day before, Jensen Huang had mentioned, "I am very much looking forward to meeting Chairman Choi."

At the SK exhibition hall, Chairman Choi carefully examined core semiconductor technologies including AI power operator, immersion cooling, security solutions, AI solutions, and AI memory. He later watched a video of AI assistant "Aster," which SK Telecom is preparing to launch in the North American market in the second half of this year. He expressed great interest in Aster, asking several questions to Jeong Seok-geun, Vice President of SK Telecom's GPAA division, who was accompanying him.

After touring the SK exhibition hall for about 20 minutes, Chairman Choi moved on to the Samsung Electronics exhibition hall. He greeted Han Jong-hee, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics, warmly at the entrance and then diligently explored various exhibition items in the home AI zone, SmartThings zone, and mobile zone.

Choi Tae-won, the chairman of SK (center), visits the Samsung Electronics exhibition hall set up at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) in Nevada, USA, on the second day of the world's largest IT and home appliance exhibition, CES 2025, on Sep. 9 (local time), and tours the exhibition with Han Jong-hee, Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics (left). /Courtesy of News1

In the mobile zone, Vice Chairman Han announced, "The Galaxy S25 will hold its launch event on the 22nd," adding that "greatly improved AI capabilities will be applied compared to existing functions." Chairman Choi quipped, "Guess I need to change again," prompting laughter from the SK and Samsung officials around.

After exploring the Smart Office Zone and AI home exhibition products, Chairman Choi concluded his 20-minute tour of the Samsung Electronics exhibition hall. Recognized as a leading "AI evangelist" in the business community, he has been keenly observing how AI is becoming integrated into everyday life, making a visit to Samsung Electronics' exhibition hall for the second year in a row following SK.