"Korea is the world's top memory technology nation. I am 100% confident that Samsung Electronics and SK hynix will be NVIDIA's long-term partners."

Jensen Huang, NVIDIA chief executive officer (CEO), said at a press conference held on the 31st at Wonhwa Hall in Gyeongju Arts Center, "NVIDIA is working with Korean corporations on both HBM3E and HBM4," adding, "We will be close partners in manufacturing HBM4, HBM5, HBM97, and more going forward."

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, holds a press briefing at Gyeongju Arts Center in North Gyeongsang Province on the afternoon of the 31st. /Courtesy of Kim Su-jeong

Huang said about each partner's characteristics, "(Korea is) the world's top nation when it comes to making all kinds of memory technologies," and joked, "The only thing that comes close to memory technology is fried chicken." The day before, Huang had dinner at a fried chicken restaurant in Seoul with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, where he praised, "Korean fried chicken is the best in the world."

Regarding partner-specific traits, he said, "SK hynix focuses more on memory, and Samsung is much more diverse, but we do not need to choose one. To support NVIDIA's growth, we need support from all corporations in Korea," adding, "Next year, the scale of the business will reach hundreds of billions of dollars."

On Korea's artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem, Huang said, "Korea, with major corporations such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, and Naver, and the government, is moving to build large-scale AI factories. When 260,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) are newly supplied to Korea, Korea will leap to become one of the world's top AI infrastructure nations." He added, "NVIDIA will build this ecosystem together with Korea's Start - Up companies, universities, and research institutions."

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, conducts a pre-briefing Q&A before the press conference at Gyeongju Arts Center in North Gyeongsang Province on the afternoon of the 31st. /Courtesy of Kim Su-jeong

Huang saw that once AI infrastructure is built in Korea, overseas corporations could also use Korea as an AI hub. He said, "AI is not constrained by borders, so Korea has a strong chance to become the most dynamic AI center in Asia, and I am very optimistic about Korea's future." He added, "Korea is a global manufacturing powerhouse in shipbuilding, automobiles, and semiconductors, and if AI can assist factory workers and boost productivity, Korea's economy will grow further."

Regarding NVIDIA's difficulties entering the Chinese market amid the recent U.S.-China power rivalry, Huang said, "For a U.S. corporation like NVIDIA to lead global standards, participation in the Chinese market is essential," adding, "We hope policy solutions are arranged to allow NVIDIA to reenter the Chinese market." He added, "It is foolish to underestimate China's strength and Huawei's remarkable competitive spirit. The Chinese market is very large, and the level of developers is also among the world's best."

On the current stage of HBM4 development, Huang said, "We have HBM4 samples, and they are working great." On Rubin, the next-generation GPU, he said, "The mass-production schedule for the second half of next year is proceeding without a hitch," adding, "Rubin silicon is inside NVIDIA today, and Rubin consists of six very advanced chips."

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