Jensen Huang: "A Surprise Gift Prepared for Korea... Investment Focus is Robotics"

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang arrived in South Korea today (June 5), announcing, "I have a surprise gift prepared for Korea."

Upon arriving at Gimpo International Airport this afternoon, Huang met with reporters. When asked if he had a gift for Korea this time as well, he replied, "I brought a lot of business for Korea," adding to the anticipation.

When asked when he would reveal the surprise gift, he smiled and said, "I can't tell you. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

Huang's visit to Korea comes about seven months after his last visit in late October last year.


Dressed in his trademark black jacket and white pants, Huang explained the background of his visit, saying, "I want to express my gratitude to all of our partners and customers in Korea. We are doing a lot of very important work, and AI building is accelerating."

He emphasized, "We had great achievements last year, and the Korean market is doing very well. The second half of this year will be much larger than the first half, and next year will be a very big year."

When asked if he plans to eat "Korean barbecue" (samgyeopsal, grilled pork belly) tonight, he replied, "I really love Korean barbecue. I also love chicken, and samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) is the best. Everything is delicious."

Regarding the purpose of his visit, he explained, "It is mainly to coordinate the supply chain. The 'Grace Blackwell' system is running smoothly, and 'Vera Rubin' has entered full-scale mass production."

Regarding the quality testing of HBM4 suppliers, which is of great interest to the semiconductor industry, he stated, "All three companies, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, have completed certification and are currently in mass production. They are all competing to supply Vera Rubin."

He also hinted that plans to establish an R&D center in Korea are taking shape.

Huang said, "We have already started hiring for the Korean R&D center. Korea has excellent expertise in AI and robotics and is a world-class manufacturing hub, making it the optimal place for R&D investment."

He added, "Once we have enough personnel, we will also secure a site."

He pointed to robotics as the next-generation investment field.

Huang said, "Korea has excellent manufacturing, mechatronics, and AI, and the convergence of all these technologies is perfect robotics. There is also a huge local ecosystem to support the robot industry, making it a great opportunity and a great future for Korea to invest in AI."

Huang will embark on a busy schedule starting today.

First, this evening, he will have dinner with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, and Naver founder Lee Hae-jin at "Hyungnim Jeoyo," a pork belly restaurant in the Hongdae area.

During this "Sam-so" (samgyeopsal and soju) meeting, a wide range of cooperation plans, including AI semiconductors, robotics, physical AI, and AI data center infrastructure, are expected to be on the table.

On June 7, he will meet with NCSOFT CEO Kim Taek-jin to discuss cooperation in the gaming and AI sectors.

On June 8, expected to be the final day of his visit, he will hold a closed-door meeting at the Shilla Seoul with executives from major domestic AI startups such as Upstage, Nota, and Aim Intelligence, as well as robotics startups including Real World, A-Robot, and NdotLight.

On the same day, he is also coordinating visits to Seoul National University's AI Institute and Robotics Laboratory, as well as the headquarters of LG Group, Hyundai Motor Group, and Naver.

Over the weekend, he is scheduled to appear on the tvN talk show "You Quiz on the Block" and throw the ceremonial first pitch at a Doosan Bears home game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.