Samsung took its congratulations to Times Square, while the leaders of both Korean chip groups turned up in New York for the occasion.
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong attended The Korea Society's annual event in New York on Monday, according to an industry source. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won also attended the ceremony, where he publicly highlighted the growing partnership between SK and Nvidia.
Samsung ran congratulatory videos for the Nvidia founder and chief executive on Times Square billboards from Sunday evening through Monday following his selection for the 2026 James A. Van Fleet Award.
The videos highlighted Huang's leadership and contributions to artificial intelligence under four themes — "Pioneer," "Architect," "Builder" and "Friend."
SK used the occasion to emphasize the increasingly intertwined relationship between Nvidia's AI accelerators and SK hynix's memory chips.
Speaking at The Korea Society's annual event in New York on Monday, Chey congratulated Huang and summed up the partnership in simple terms.
"NVIDIA designs the brain, and SK builds the memory," Chey said. "NVIDIA thinks lightning fast, and SK makes sure it never forgets."
Chey also joked about Huang's persistent demands for faster technology.
"Every time I met Jensen, his first question is always, 'Can we make it faster?'" Chey said. "Just like ppalli-ppalli in Korean, so we have the same spirit."
The displays of goodwill come as both Korean chipmakers deepen their relationships with Nvidia amid surging demand for AI infrastructure.
SK hynix has emerged as a key supplier of HBM for Nvidia's AI accelerators, making the U.S. chip designer one of the most strategically important customers in its memory business.
The relationship is moving into the next generation of AI hardware. Nvidia's Vera Rubin platform has been displayed with SK hynix's 12-layer 36-gigabyte HBM4 and 96GB SOCAMM2, illustrating how closely advanced memory is being developed alongside AI processors.
Samsung works with Nvidia across memory and system semiconductors and has been seeking to broaden the relationship as it expands its presence in advanced AI memory.
The Korean electronics giant is also using Nvidia's accelerated computing and digital-twin technologies in its semiconductor operations as part of its push to build an "AI Factory" spanning research, design and production.
The simultaneous displays surrounding Huang underscore Nvidia's pivotal position in Korea's semiconductor industry.
Samsung and SK hynix compete fiercely in HBM and other advanced memory products, but both have strong incentives to deepen their relationship with the company whose GPUs sit at the center of the global AI infrastructure boom.
Chey also cast the relationship within a broader shift in Korea-U.S. cooperation toward AI and advanced technology.
"Seventy years ago, General Van Fleet built our alliance on the battlefield," Chey said. "And the front line actually has changed to the data center."
He closed with a toast to Huang, his family and the Korea-U.S. alliance. "May our partnership scale even faster than GPU demand," Chey said.
The James A. Van Fleet Award is presented annually by The Korea Society to individuals or organizations that have contributed to strengthening ties between South Korea and the United States.
Huang was selected for his role in advancing AI and accelerated computing and fostering cooperation between the two countries' AI and semiconductor industries.
Samsung's late Chairman Lee Kun-hee received the award in 2006 for his contributions to economic cooperation and bilateral relations.
For Samsung and SK, Huang's award offered more than an occasion for congratulations. It provided a stage to showcase relationships that are becoming increasingly consequential as Nvidia sits at the center of the global AI hardware boom.
For Korea's two memory giants, staying close to Nvidia is becoming as strategically important as the chips they build.
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