The agreements contain SK Telecom, SK Hynix, Naver, Doosan Group, LG Group, Hyundai Motor Group and continued discussions with Samsung Electronics, linking Nvidia’s graphics processors, AI manufacturing facility structure and robotics platforms with South Korea’s strengths in reminiscence chips, telecoms, manufacturing, cloud companies and industrial automation.
The offers had been unveiled throughout Nvidia chief government Jensen Huang’s Seoul go to, which has underlined how South Korea is transferring from being a provider of important reminiscence chips to a broader AI infrastructure hub. The push comes as governments and enormous firms search sovereign computing capability, tighter management over information, and devoted amenities able to coaching and operating superior AI fashions.
SK Telecom plans to construct a gigawatt-scale AI cloud in South Korea utilizing Nvidia’s DSX platform, with the primary AI manufacturing facility anticipated to come back on-line in 2027. The infrastructure is designed to assist enterprise AI, robotics, industrial automation and agentic AI companies, utilizing SK Telecom’s community, information centre and company know-how base.
Naver, one in all South Korea’s main web and cloud firms, is increasing its sovereign AI infrastructure with Nvidia, beginning with 55 megawatts of capability and a plan to maneuver in the direction of gigawatt scale. The collaboration is aimed toward serving companies, public-sector customers and industries searching for regionally managed AI platforms.
SK Hynix, already a key provider of high-bandwidth reminiscence for Nvidia’s AI accelerators, has entered a multi-year know-how partnership to develop next-generation reminiscence for international AI information centres. The settlement strengthens the function of high-bandwidth reminiscence as one of the necessary bottlenecks within the AI {hardware} provide chain, with demand rising sharply as massive fashions require quicker information motion between processors and reminiscence.
Samsung Electronics stays a part of the broader dialog round next-generation foundry and reminiscence cooperation. Its semiconductor management held talks with Nvidia on superior chip manufacturing and future high-bandwidth reminiscence, together with applied sciences past the present HBM4 technology. Samsung can be concerned in manufacturing AI accelerator chips for different prospects, holding it central to Nvidia’s broader provide chain calculations whilst SK Hynix maintains a robust place in premium reminiscence.
Doosan Group’s cooperation with Nvidia extends the agreements past information centres into bodily AI. Doosan Robotics is working with Nvidia’s simulation, robotics and on-device AI platforms to develop an agentic robotic working system, whereas Doosan Enerbility is anticipated to assist energy infrastructure for AI factories. Doosan Company’s electronics supplies unit can be positioned to assist next-generation information centre {hardware} by way of superior supplies utilized in AI accelerators.
LG Group is working with Nvidia on an AI manufacturing facility targeted on bodily AI, mobility and information centre applied sciences. The partnership is anticipated to assist LG’s work in robotics, autonomous driving, sensible manufacturing and GPU cloud companies, giving the conglomerate a platform for making use of AI throughout shopper electronics, industrial programs and automobile applied sciences.
Hyundai Motor Group’s cooperation with Nvidia is centred on mobility, manufacturing and robotics, together with assist for Hyundai’s AI Valley mission in Saemangeum. The group’s possession of Boston Dynamics provides it a robust place in humanoid and industrial robotics, whereas Nvidia’s platforms can assist simulation, mannequin coaching and manufacturing facility deployment.
South Korea’s nationwide AI technique provides the company agreements wider significance. The nation had already introduced plans to safe greater than 260,000 Nvidia GPUs, with greater than 50,000 supposed for public AI infrastructure and the remaining allotted to main firms together with Samsung, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group and Naver. The newest agreements recommend that these commitments are transferring into extra outlined industrial tasks.
The enlargement additionally displays a shift in Nvidia’s enterprise mannequin. The corporate is not promoting chips solely as elements; it’s selling full-stack AI factories that mix processors, networking, software program, reference structure and operations. That method provides Nvidia deeper affect over how information centres are designed and operated, whereas providing companions quicker deployment at a time when AI capability stays constrained.
South Korea’s Science and ICT Ministry can be searching for precedence entry to Nvidia’s Vera Rubin GPUs, amid expectations that next-generation chip provide might face delays. The trouble reveals how superior AI processors have develop into strategic belongings for nations competing in mannequin improvement, cloud infrastructure and industrial automation.
The agreements carry dangers in addition to alternative. AI factories require huge energy provides, costly cooling programs and long-term commitments from company prospects. Heavy dependence on one US chip provider may additionally increase questions over provide safety and bargaining energy, even for a rustic with world-class semiconductor firms.
For Nvidia, the South Korean partnerships strengthen reminiscence entry, broaden its AI manufacturing facility buyer base and create new demand in robotics, cloud companies and industrial AI. For South Korean firms, the offers supply a quicker route into high-value AI infrastructure at a time when international competitors is shifting from mannequin improvement to the computing programs wanted to run them at scale.
