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(ATTN: UPDATES with Huang's comments in paras 6-8; ADDS new photo)
By Kim Han-joo
SEOUL, June 5 (Yonhap) -- Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang on Friday held a casual Korean-style barbecue dinner with South Korean business leaders, including SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, in Seoul in a move highlighting their business cooperation in the booming artificial intelligence (AI) sector.
Huang, Chey, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin gathered at a samgyeopsal restaurant in the northwestern Hongdae area.
They ate samgyeopsal, or grilled pork belly, accompanied by a mix of soju and beer, dubbed "sam-so" in Korean.
Hundreds of people and journalists assembled outside the restaurant to catch a glimpse of the rare meeting of AI industry leaders.
The companies at the gathering span nearly every layer of the AI value chain, including semiconductors, data centers, AI models, software and robotics.
Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang (2nd from L) speaks during a dinner with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin at a samgyeopsal restaurant in the Hongdae area, northwestern Seoul, on June 5, 2026. (Yonhap)
"My gift? I brought four new businesses to Korea ... Korea is going to be very busy," Huang said, referring to Vera Rubin, a next-generation AI supercomputing platform; Vera, Nvidia's first central processing unit (CPU) designed for AI; RTX Spark, the company's first laptop; and Jetson Thor, an AI supercomputer designed for humanoid robots.
He said the new products will require large amounts of memory chips, including high bandwidth memory (HBM), an area in which South Korean chipmakers hold a strong advantage.
"We are also building a very prominent research center here in Korea," he said, adding that the center is hiring AI researchers and robotics engineers in Korea.
Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin (from R to L) toast during dinner at a samgyeopsal restaurant in the Hongdae area, northwestern Seoul, on June 5, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
Before the dinner, Huang visited an internet cafe in Seoul and met with esports players, including gaming superstar Faker.
"This is the birthplace of esports," Huang said, emphasizing that Korean gamers have long been among the world's most competitive players who are using Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs).
Nvidia's GeForce graphics cards are designed to deliver the high frame rates demanded by professional gamers.
Huang arrived in South Korea earlier in the day aboard his private jet for a four-day visit.
Upon arrival, he said he views robotics as the next major growth sector in South Korea, adding that the domestic market is well-positioned for growth.
People gather outside a samgyeopsal restaurant in the Hongdae area, northwestern Seoul, where Nvidia Corp. chief Jensen Huang, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Naver Chairman Lee Jae-jin have a casual dinner on June 5, 2026. (Yonhap)
"(South) Korea has many sectors to invest in. Robotics is going to be the next major sector," Huang told reporters, adding that the Korean "market is doing very well."
Asked whether he had brought any gifts for South Korea, Huang responded with a smile.
"Did I bring any gifts for Korea? I brought a lot of business for Korea," he said. "I have some surprises."
The trip comes less than a year after Huang's previous trip to South Korea in October, which coincided with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju.
During that visit, Huang drew widespread attention when he joined Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung for a late-night meal of Korean fried chicken and beer, commonly known as "chimaek."
Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang speaks to reporters after arriving at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul on June 5, 2026. (Yonhap)
This time, Huang is set to hold talks with executives from the gaming industry, AI and robotics startups, university researchers and students, according to industry sources.
"Because Korea is a manufacturing center of the world, we can apply the robotics technology, the physical AI technology that we invent here for the industry," he said.
He further said Nvidia will partner with domestic manufacturing firms in robotics and AI.
"The manufacturing of semiconductors will become increasingly robotics and increasingly AI driven in the future, and so we have a great opportunity to partner with the semiconductor companies here as well," he added.
Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang visits an internet cafe in Seoul on June 5, 2026, to meet esports players, including gaming superstar Faker. (Yonhap)
As part of the move, Huang is scheduled to throw the ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game hosted by the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Sunday.
Nvidia has been in close business partnership with Doosan Group in the AI sector, especially with the group's robot manufacturing arm, Doosan Robotics Inc.
Huang is also expected to meet Krafton Executive Director Chang Byung-gyu and other senior executives from the gaming company, though the exact schedule has yet to be confirmed.
The two companies are expected to discuss potential cooperation involving Nvidia's RTX Spark platform for premium Windows laptops, as well as physical AI technologies.
Earlier this year, Krafton established a robotics subsidiary called Ludo Robotics.
During his stay, Huang is also expected to meet Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon to discuss cooperation in AI, including the supply of GPUs.
Details regarding the timing, venue and agenda of the meeting are still being finalized.
khj@yna.co.kr
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