Seoul: Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon met with Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang in Seoul to explore potential collaborations aimed at enhancing South Korea's physical artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the meeting was part of Huang's visit to South Korea, where he engaged with executives from the nation's leading AI supply chain conglomerates, as well as researchers and startup representatives. Minister Bae emphasized the potential for South Korea to develop successful AI applications across various industries by strategically cooperating with the U.S. chip giant Nvidia. He expressed optimism that Huang's visit would expedite the country's AI development efforts.
Bae highlighted South Korea's strengths in semiconductors and manufacturing, suggesting that collaboration with Nvidia could lead to significant advancements. He mentioned that the Korea AI Ecosystem Reception, hosted by Nvidia, could act as a catalyst for enhancing the country's AI capabilities, including emerging areas such as physical AI.
The AI event saw participation from representatives of 18 companies within South Korea's AI ecosystem, including major conglomerates like Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, Hyundai Motor Group, LG Electronics, as well as tech firms Naver and Krafton, and AI and robotics startups.
During the discussions, Bae and Huang reiterated the importance of achieving tangible results from their partnership, which was established last year at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting. The minister also urged Huang to ensure the smooth supply of approximately 260,000 advanced chips from Nvidia, as agreed during the APEC event, and sought Nvidia's support in South Korea's plans to establish an AI factory utilizing Nvidia's Vera Rubin platform.
Further discussions covered partnerships in the physical AI domain, with Bae expressing hope that Nvidia's forthcoming AI research and development center in Seoul could become a cornerstone for South Korea's collaboration with the U.S. chipmaker, as per the ministry's statement.