Nvidia announced on Monday a series of partnerships in South Korea with major technology firms, including SK Hynix and Naver, as it seeks to secure critical memory chip supplies for its artificial intelligence initiatives while expanding its customer base.
The agreements were announced during Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s high-profile visit to South Korea, which began on Friday.
SK Hynix and Nvidia to develop next-gen memory solutions for AI data centers
Nvidia and its South Korean partners, including SK Telecom and Doosan Group, did not reveal the financial terms of the agreements. SK Group, South Korea’s second-largest family-controlled conglomerate, said its affiliates SK Hynix and SK Telecom had also entered into partnerships with Nvidia.
As part of a multi-year technology collaboration, SK Hynix will work with Nvidia to develop next-generation memory solutions for AI data centers worldwide. The agreement comes amid surging demand for memory chips, which has put pressure on manufacturers to expand production.
SK Hynix and Nvidia said the partnership will help ensure chip supplies keep pace with Nvidia’s growing ambitions across AI-driven sectors, including robotics, personal computing and AI supercomputing.
Huang said SK Hynix’s plan to double its memory wafer production capacity by 2030 would still fall short of meeting rapidly growing demand driven by artificial intelligence. He added that Nvidia’s agreement with SK Hynix is set to run for more than two years and includes provisions for further extensions.
SK Telecom to develop gigawatt-scale AI cloud infrastructure in South Korea
In other deals, SK Telecom said it plans to develop a gigawatt-scale AI cloud infrastructure in South Korea using Nvidia technology, with its first AI data center scheduled to begin operations in 2027. Nvidia added that Naver and Doosan will also deploy its technology in the construction of AI data centers.
Meanwhile, Doosan, which manufactures materials used in Nvidia’s advanced Blackwell chips, said it expects its energy solutions to be incorporated into Nvidia-powered data center platforms. The company also plans to leverage Nvidia’s physical AI technologies in its own operations.
Nvidia is further strengthening ties with South Korea through a partnership with LG Group focused on electronics, mechanical systems and AI technologies for humanoid robots, Huang said following a meeting with LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo. Nvidia and LG are also collaborating on the design of next-generation data centers, covering key areas such as cooling systems, power distribution, architecture and overall facility construction.
Nvidia to expand cooperation with Hyundai
Following talks with Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, Huang said Nvidia would expand its cooperation with the automaker across several AI-driven fields, including autonomous mobility, robotics and AI-enabled manufacturing.
He also pointed to significant opportunities in industrial robotics, saying the two companies would work together to integrate AI into all forms of mobility while deepening collaboration on practical robotics applications for industry.
Separately, South Korea’s technology ministry said it plans to acquire 9,704 GPUs in 2026 for a state-backed AI initiative valued at 2.08 trillion won ($1.5 billion), including 2,016 of Nvidia’s next-generation Vera Rubin GPUs.
For more news on technology, click here.
