Jensen Huang "Sees Huge Demand for AI Factories"... SK, Hyundai, LG, Doosan Form Alliances
Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, met with leaders of major South Korean companies on the last day of his visit on June 8, aiming to establish a comprehensive "AI alliance." Huang summarized the purpose of his four-day trip, stating, "We need to build more AI factories," and emphasized the significant global demand for AI factories, noting that business is thriving.
Huang held consecutive meetings with executives from SK, LG, Hyundai Motor, and Doosan to discuss specific AI collaboration strategies. He first met with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won at the SK Seorin Building in Seoul, followed by a visit to LG Twin Tower to meet with LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo. In the afternoon, he met with Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun at the company's headquarters in Yangjae, and the previous day, he expanded discussions with Doosan Group Chairman Park Jeong-won at Jamsil Baseball Stadium.
The discussions focused on aligning the collaboration with each group's core competencies. SK and NVIDIA agreed to expand their existing partnership centered on high-bandwidth memory (HBM) into next-generation AI factory infrastructure. Collaborations with LG will enhance robotics, AI infrastructure, and autonomous manufacturing, while discussions with Hyundai Motor Group delved into cooperation in physical AI areas such as autonomous driving and robotics. The potential for collaboration with Doosan in AI factory infrastructure and robotics was also highlighted.
Industry analysts view Huang's visit as a signal that NVIDIA is broadening its partnerships with South Korean firms beyond memory semiconductor supply chains to encompass AI factories, robotics, autonomous driving, and autonomous manufacturing. This move indicates that NVIDIA's growth trajectory is shifting from data centers to real-world industrial applications.
Lee Addresses Election Commission's Independence Amid Voting Issues
President Lee Jae-myung stated on June 8 at the Blue House that the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections is a serious issue that cannot be overlooked, regardless of the numbers involved or their impact on the results.
During a meeting with key government officials, Lee pointed out that while the Election Commission is an independent body as defined by the constitution, it is difficult to address any misconduct officially. He emphasized that the situation is too critical to ignore, as elections are central to the realization of popular sovereignty.
Lee convened the meeting with key officials, excluding the Election Commission chairman, including National Assembly Speaker Chung Jin-suk, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, Constitutional Court Chief Justice Kim Sang-hwan, and Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. They agreed to formulate comprehensive reform measures for the Election Commission.
Lee expressed the need for an official discussion on how to address the issue, stating, "We need to clarify the facts first, even if a clear solution does not emerge immediately." He added that there should be accountability from the perspective of the public and that possible alternatives and measures should also be discussed.
Xi Jinping Arrives in Pyongyang, Reaffirms Strong North Korea-China Ties
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on June 8 for a two-day state visit, warmly welcomed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife. This marks Xi's first visit to North Korea in seven years, during which he reiterated that the traditional friendship between North Korea and China will remain steadfast regardless of changes in the international situation.
According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, Xi's Air China flight landed at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport around noon local time. Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, personally greeted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan. Xi's delegation included senior officials, such as Cai Qi, head of the Central Secretariat of the Communist Party, and Wang Yi, a member of the Central Political Bureau and Foreign Minister.
An official welcome ceremony took place at Kim Il-sung Square, adorned with large portraits of the two leaders and red banners proclaiming, "Long live the friendship between North Korea and China" and "Long live the solidarity between the peoples of North Korea and China." North Korean and Chinese flags flew side by side as citizens of Pyongyang cheered and applauded the two leaders.
The ceremony featured the playing of both national anthems and a 21-gun salute, with Xi inspecting a North Korean honor guard alongside Kim. Xi's visit is seen as a reciprocal gesture following Kim's visit to China in September last year for the Victory Day parade, symbolizing the normalization of North Korea-China relations. The two countries' relationship had been perceived as weakened during the COVID-19 pandemic due to a halt in exchanges and North Korea's increasing cooperation with Russia. However, following Kim's visit to China, international passenger trains and flights have resumed, marking a revival of exchanges between the two nations.
Samsung's Vice Chairman Discusses Future HBM Collaborations with Jensen Huang
On June 8, Jeon Young-hyun, Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics' Device Solutions division, met with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang to discuss supply strategies for next-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM) products, HBM4E and HBM5.
The meeting took place at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul, where Jeon expressed optimism about their long-standing collaboration with Huang, stating, "I believe we had the best conversation today." He outlined plans for future cooperation, mentioning that discussions included HBM4E, foundry business, and HBM5, emphasizing the need to ensure sufficient supply of HBM4 and SOCAMM (low-power memory modules for servers) starting this year.
Regarding potential collaboration in the foundry sector, Jeon noted that they are working together on autonomous driving chips and NVIDIA's accelerator chip, the Grace chip, at 4-nanometer and 8-nanometer processes, and are also discussing next-generation cooperation.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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