Story perspectives

Nvidia CEO Declares Robotics South Korea’s Next Big Industry

6/5/2026

Summary

Huang Boosts Robotics

Jensen Huang, Nvidia founder and CEO, announced on June 5, 2026 at Gimpo Airport that robotics will become South Korea's next major industry, noting the country is the fourth-largest industrial-robot market worth about 6 trillion won.
He noted a robot density of 1,220 units per 10,000 workers in 2025—highest—and promoted Nvidia’s ‘Physical AI’ for manufacturing.
Nvidia will open an R&D center, collaborate on ‘Cosmos’ with Doosan Robotics, meeting Hyundai Motor and Samsung.

Summary

Huang Secures Suppliers

Jensen Huang announced that Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron qualify to supply HBM4 chips for Nvidia’s Vera Rubin AI platform.
He said Samsung and SK Hynix already provide roughly 70 % of the memory chips needed for Nvidia’s AI processors.
Huang warned Nvidia must use its chips “smartly” because of limited memory supplies.

Summary

Lee Prioritizes AI

President Lee Jae Myung pledged to make AI investment a top policy priority, aiming to place South Korea among the world’s three leading AI powers.
Ongoing trade frictions that have limited advanced semiconductor sales to China have increased Nvidia’s reliance on South Korean suppliers.
Analysts say the shrinking population drives a focus on “physical AI” that embeds intelligence in robots, cars and factories, making Korea an ideal testbed.

Summary

Huang Engages Korea

Nvidia and Krafton will explore using RTX Spark laptop chips in Korean games and physical-AI projects.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will meet NC Corp. CEO Kim Taek-jin, tour Seoul National University’s AI institute, and discuss Krafton’s Ludo Robotics as a gaming-to-physical-AI bridge.
A closed-door session with South Korean AI and robotics startup founders will be Nvidia’s first direct engagement with the nation’s emerging tech firms.

History

Historical Context

By 2024 the International Federation of Robotics counted 4,663,698 industrial robots worldwide, with roughly half located in Asia. South Korea has emerged as a leading Asian user, prompting Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in 2026 to announce HBM4 chip deployments in partnership with Samsung, SK Hynix and Hyundai. The collaboration reflects how national robotics initiatives can shape global AI manufacturing.

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Huang Boosts Robotics

Jensen Huang, Nvidia founder and CEO, announced on June 5, 2026 at Gimpo Airport that robotics will become South Korea's next major industry, noting the country is the fourth-largest industrial-robot market worth about 6 trillion won.
He noted a robot density of 1,220 units per 10,000 workers in 2025—highest—and promoted Nvidia’s ‘Physical AI’ for manufacturing.
Nvidia will open an R&D center, collaborate on ‘Cosmos’ with Doosan Robotics, meeting Hyundai Motor and Samsung.

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