Seoul: Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang on Friday hosted a Korean-style barbecue dinner with top South Korean business leaders in Seoul, underscoring their collaborative efforts in the burgeoning artificial intelligence (AI) industry. According to Yonhap News Agency, the gathering included SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin at a samgyeopsal restaurant in the bustling northwestern Hongdae area. The leaders shared samgyeopsal, or grilled pork belly, complemented by "sam-so," a popular Korean mix of soju and beer, in an informal setting that drew hundreds of onlookers and media hoping to glimpse this rare meeting of AI industry titans. The companies represented at the dinner encompass nearly all facets of the AI value chain, ranging from semiconductors to data centers, AI models, software, and robotics. Huang revealed plans for four new business ventures in Korea, including the Vera Rubin AI supercomputing platform, Nvidia's f irst CPU for AI named Vera, the RTX Spark laptop, and the Jetson Thor AI supercomputer for humanoid robots. Notably, these innovations will demand substantial memory chips, an area where South Korean firms excel. He also announced the establishment of a prominent research center in Korea aiming to hire AI researchers and robotics engineers. Before the dinner, Huang visited a local internet cafe and engaged with esports players, including famed gamer Faker, highlighting Korea's prominent esports scene and Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs) integral to competitive gaming. Huang's visit, arriving by private jet for a four-day stay, marks a follow-up to his trip last October during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Gyeongju. This time, his itinerary includes discussions with gaming industry executives, AI and robotics startups, university researchers, and students. His agenda also features a ceremonial first pitch at a Doosan Bears baseball game, reflecting Nvidia's strong AI c ollaboration with Doosan Group's robotics division. Additionally, Huang is expected to meet with Krafton Executive Director Chang Byung-gyu to explore potential partnerships involving Nvidia's RTX Spark platform and physical AI technologies. Furthermore, a meeting with Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon is on the cards to discuss GPU supply and AI cooperation, though details remain under finalization.
