NVIDIA has announced a collaboration with the South Korean government and some of the nation’s largest industrial conglomerates to build a massive AI infrastructure and ecosystem. This strategic initiative aims to position South Korea at the forefront of the global AI revolution by leveraging over a quarter-million cutting-edge NVIDIA GPUs (graphics processing units) deployed across sovereign clouds, AI factories, research institutions, and startup hubs.
This collaboration is more than an infrastructure project—it is the cornerstone of South Korea’s strategy to drive AI-powered innovation across diverse industrial sectors such as automotive, manufacturing, telecommunications, and healthcare. By combining the country’s existing technological strengths and world-class manufacturing capabilities with NVIDIA’s advanced AI computing platforms, South Korea seeks to emerge as one of the top three AI powerhouses worldwide, sparking innovation, economic growth, and job creation.
Massive deployment of NVIDIA GPUs and AI factories
NVIDIA is supplying South Korea with one of the largest batches of its latest GPUs globally, with contracts to deliver approximately 260,000 high-performance GPUs. These GPUs will be integrated into sovereign AI clouds and AI factories developing intelligent applications tailored for Korea’s industrial needs. The government-backed deployments are complemented by private sector investments from corporate giants such as Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Group, SK Group, and LG.
Hyundai Motor Group, a key participant in the partnership, will deploy 50,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs to create an AI factory that enables integrated AI model training, validation, and deployment. Hyundai’s AI factory initiative aligns with the South Korean government’s plan to establish a national physical AI cluster, with an estimated $3 billion investment aimed at transforming mobility through AI-powered vehicle design, robotics, and autonomous systems. Hyundai has also pledged to collaborate with NVIDIA to nurture AI talent by fostering dynamic exchanges between Korean engineers and NVIDIA experts.
Meanwhile, SK Group is developing an AI factory with a similar scale deployment, supporting enterprise AI acceleration and innovation in telecommunications, manufacturing, and logistics sectors. LG is also working closely with NVIDIA to support physical AI development and to back startups and academia via LG’s EXAONE AI healthcare model, which uses NVIDIA’s MONAI framework to improve cancer diagnosis.
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Government support and vision
The Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technologies (MSIT) in South Korea takes an active role in accelerating AI development via substantial initial GPU deployments and policy support for ecosystem growth. Korea Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon emphasized that expanding national AI infrastructure is a key strategic investment to reinforce South Korea’s manufacturing strengths and secure its future prosperity as a leading AI nation.
South Korea is also leveraging national research institutions like the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), which hosts the sixth-generation national supercomputer HANGANG, featuring NVIDIA-accelerated computing. KISTI is pioneering research collaborations using new NVIDIA open research frameworks such as CUDA-Q and NVQLink, designed for hybrid quantum-GPU supercomputers, advancing the country’s scientific AI R&D capabilities.
Expanding NVIDIA Inception to support startups
To build a sustainable AI ecosystem, NVIDIA and its partners are expanding platforms like the NVIDIA Inception program, which supports startups with advanced computing infrastructure, software, and venture capital alliance members such as IMM Investment and Korea Investment Partners. Startups gain access to accelerated computing resources through cloud partners including SK Telecom, fostering the next generation of AI innovation in South Korea.
This comprehensive ecosystem development initiative reflects a multi-faceted approach: large-scale AI infrastructure builds provide the backbone, industrial alliances drive AI application in key sectors, government policies enable growth and talent development, and startup programs nurture innovation and entrepreneurship.
NVIDIA’s deepening ties with South Korea come at a strategic moment when procurement constraints limit access to AI chips in other regions. South Korean conglomerates prioritize reliable supply chains for NVIDIA’s GPUs critical to AI training and inference, underscoring the country’s commitment to lead in AI technology amid shifting global trade climates. These partnerships also strengthen NVIDIA’s position in Asia, as it aligns with major Korean players like Samsung and Hyundai to capture the rapidly growing AI market.
For South Korea, this collaboration not only meets near-term technological demands but serves as a forward-looking investment to secure its position in the AI-driven global economy. By building intelligence as a new “export,” Korea plans to transform its legacy as a manufacturing hub into a global AI innovation center.
Building robust AI ecosystem in Korea
Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, stated, “Korea’s leadership in technology and manufacturing positions it at the heart of the AI industrial revolution—where accelerated computing infrastructure becomes as vital as power grids and broadband. Just as Korea’s factories have inspired the world with ships, cars, and electronics, the nation can now produce intelligence as a new export that will drive global transformation.”
Echoing this, Korea Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon remarked, “South Korea stands at the threshold of transformation. Expanding our national AI infrastructure with NVIDIA reinforces our strengths and supports our prosperity as we strive to be among the top three AI powerhouses globally.”
Euisun Chung, executive chair of Hyundai Motor Group, added, “Deepening our collaboration with NVIDIA marks a pivotal step forward in AI-powered mobility and smart factories. Together, we are laying the foundation for a robust AI ecosystem in Korea that fosters innovation and talent.”
