NVIDIA’s New Nexus: Korea to Get 260,000 Blackwell AI Chips
The world’s leading semiconductor manufacturer, NVIDIA, has announced a landmark deal to supply over 260,000 state-of-the-art Blackwell AI chips to the South Korean government and major technology companies — including Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group, Naver, and Kakao.
The agreement marks a major step forward for NVIDIA in strengthening its global dominance in the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence (AI) hardware and services market. The announcement follows the company’s record-breaking achievement on Wednesday, when NVIDIA became the first corporation in history to reach a market capitalization of USD 5 trillion.
Under the leadership of President Lee Jae-myung, South Korea is rapidly positioning itself as a regional AI powerhouse. Since taking office in June, President Lee has prioritized AI-driven investment as a catalyst for economic growth.
In a statement, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said, “Just as Korea has amazed the world with its ships, cars, chips, and electronics, it will now produce a new export — intelligence — that will drive global transformation.”
The announcement came during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, where Huang met with President Lee and senior executives from South Korea’s top industries.
According to the agreement, the South Korean government will use 50,000 NVIDIA chips to build a national AI infrastructure. Meanwhile, Samsung, SK Group, and Hyundai Motor Group will each deploy around 50,000 chips for applications in smart factories, semiconductor manufacturing, and automotive development.
Additionally, Naver, one of the country’s leading internet firms, will purchase 60,000 NVIDIA chips. Together with Kakao and the South Korean government, Naver is also collaborating on the establishment of a National AI Computing Center.
Hyundai Motor Group has further announced a partnership with NVIDIA to develop a “supercomputer” aimed at advancing autonomous driving, smart factory systems, and robotics.
This large-scale collaboration underscores South Korea’s growing ambition to become an AI innovation hub and NVIDIA’s continued dominance in the global semiconductor and AI technology landscape.
