President Lee Jae-myung and Jensen Huang, Nvidia's chief executive officer (CEO), joined hands to make Korea a global leader in physical artificial intelligence (AI).
Kim Yong-beom, Presidential Chief of Staff for Policy, and Ha Jung-woo, senior secretary for AI future planning, briefed reporters on the 31st at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) media center in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, about President Lee's meeting with CEO Jensen Huang. President Lee and CEO Jensen Huang met that day at the HICO convention center in Gyeongju, the venue of the APEC summit.
Deputy Minister Kim and Senior Secretary Ha said that in the meeting that day, President Lee and CEO Jensen Huang agreed to pool their efforts to make Korea a global leader in physical AI. Deputy Minister Kim said, "CEO Jensen Huang said there is no doubt that Korea will become a global AI leader and an AI hub country in the Asia-Pacific region, and said Nvidia would join that journey."
Deputy Minister Kim said that as a specific area of cooperation, they agreed to supply 260,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) to Korea to greatly expand AI computing infrastructure, and, on that basis, further boost the competitiveness of Korea's AI-driven manufacturing. Deputy Minister Kim said, "Physical AI, in which AI comes into the real physical world and operates in autonomous vehicles or robots, is the core technology that will lead the next-generation AI business," adding, "This is a field where Korea, a world-class manufacturing powerhouse that also possesses semiconductor AI models, can establish itself as a global leader."
To that end, Hyundai Motor and Nvidia will invest $3 billion to secure an early lead in autonomous vehicles and software-defined vehicles. Naver, SK and Samsung Electronics will also increase investment in the physical AI field. Deputy Minister Kim said, "CEO Jensen Huang said Korea is the optimal partner in manufacturing AI," and added, "Hyundai Motor has also created a concrete joint venture investing in physical AI, and he repeatedly expressed interest in and willingness to cooperate with Korea."
Senior Secretary Ha said, "Not only for physical AI but also for national flagship AI projects and the use of start - ups, it is necessary to secure many GPUs," and explained, "Nvidia holds GPUs at a near-monopoly level worldwide."
Senior Secretary Ha, regarding the 260,000 GPUs Nvidia agreed to supply to Korea, said, "This is a cumulative figure for next year," adding, "If you add the 50,000 to be secured in the public sector, it will be around 300,000, which is a scale that could make us the No. 3 after the United States and China."
Regarding the joint venture that Nvidia and Hyundai Motor plan to establish, Senior Secretary Ha explained, "What Hyundai Motor and Nvidia decided to pursue with a $3 billion investment will likely be a research company or center related to physical AI, and it is highly likely to be a joint venture that proceeds in a complex manner, linked to robot and automotive hardware, with Digital Twin software running on top of it."