Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Touts Robotics as South Korea’s Next Growth Engine

On 5 June 2026, Jensen Huang arrived at Gimpo International Airport for a four-day trip, declaring that robotics will become South Korea’s “next major sector.” The statement was made at a press briefing after his private jet landed from Taiwan and set the tone for a series of high-level meetings.

Jensen Huang highlights robotics as South Korea growth sector

South Korea, a global hub for chips, electronics, automobiles and shipbuilding, has intensified its AI agenda. President Lee Jae Myung has pledged AI investment as a top policy priority, aiming to rank the nation among the world’s three AI powers. The country’s strong mechatronics base and dense industrial-robot deployment (30,600 units in 2024, 1,220 robots per 10,000 workers) position it as a natural partner for Nvidia’s “physical AI” vision.

Jensen Huang’s Visit to South Korea Sends Key Signal: South Korea’s Robotics Industry Is About to Enter Highlight Moment

Huang’s itinerary listed meetings with Hyundai Motor, LG, SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics and Naver. He also dined with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Naver founder Lee Hae-jin. Additional engagements included esports star Lee Sang-hyeok (“Faker”), Krafton’s executive director Chang Byung-gyu, and Doosan Group Chairman Park Jeong-won, whose firm supplies robotics components for Nvidia’s Blackwell chips.

The Straits Times

• Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix together provide roughly 70 % of the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) required for Nvidia’s AI chips.

ReutersThe Straits TimesTaipei TimesReutersJensen Huang highlights robotics as South Korea growth sectorUnited Press International (UPI)Nvidia CEO sees robotics boom in Korea

• Micron is also qualified to supply HBM4 for Nvidia’s Vera Rubin platform.

The Straits Times

• South Korea’s industrial-robot market is valued at about 6 trillion won, ranking first globally in robot density.

Jensen Huang’s Visit to South Korea Sends Key Signal: South Korea’s Robotics Industry Is About to Enter Highlight Moment

• Nvidia announced in October 2025 that it would deliver over 260,000 advanced AI chips to the Korean government and major enterprises.

Reuters

Huang emphasized that “the manufacturing of semiconductors will become increasingly robotics and increasingly AI-driven,” underscoring a partnership opportunity with Korean semiconductor firms. Analyst Jeff Kim (KB Securities) noted Nvidia’s growing reliance on South Korean suppliers and the need for a local “physical AI” manufacturing site. Fund manager Seung-yub Lee (Quad Investment Management) highlighted that Korean high-end factories demand large volumes of AI chips. The Korean government’s AI policy aims to leverage this supply chain to offset trade frictions that have limited chip sales to China.

ReutersUnited Press International (UPI)Taipei TimesNvidia CEO sees robotics boom in KoreaJensen Huang’s Visit to South Korea Sends Key Signal: South Korea’s Robotics Industry Is About to Enter Highlight MomentThe Straits TimesUnited Press International (UPI)ReutersJensen Huang highlights robotics as South Korea growth sector

• “Because Korea is a manufacturing centre of the world, we can apply the robotics technology, the physical AI technology that we invent here for the industry,” — Jensen Huang, Nvidia CEO

The Straits Times

• “The manufacturing of semiconductors will become increasingly robotics and increasingly AI driven in the future, and so we have a great opportunity to partner with the semiconductor companies here as well,” — Jensen Huang

United Press International (UPI)

• “Did I bring any gifts for Korea? I brought a lot of business for Korea,” — Jensen Huang

Reuters

• “All three vendors are in production, and they are all racing to support Vera Rubin.” — Jensen Huang

The Straits Times

• “[South] Korea is extraordinary at manufacturing, mechatronics, and also artificial intelligence,” — Jensen Huang

Taipei Times

• “As soon as we have enough people here, then we’ll build a site,” — Jensen Huang

Taipei Times

The visit signals Nvidia’s intent to embed its AI hardware and software platforms—such as the Vera Rubin AI system and the Cosmos robot-training environment—within Korea’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem. By aligning with domestic memory suppliers and robotics firms, Nvidia aims to secure a resilient supply chain amid geopolitical tensions and to accelerate adoption of “physical AI” across factories, logistics and service robots.

Jensen Huang’s Visit to South Korea Sends Key Signal: South Korea’s Robotics Industry Is About to Enter Highlight Moment

During the stay, Huang will throw the first pitch for the Doosan Bears at a home game against the Kiwoom Heroes and appear on the popular talk show “You Quiz on the Block.” He also plans to expand Nvidia’s R&D presence in Seoul once recruitment targets are met.

Reuters

Sources uniformly report Samsung and SK Hynix supplying about 70 % of AI-chip memory, with Micron also qualified for HBM4. No contradictory figures appear. However, details on the specific “surprises” Huang hinted at and the exact timeline for the planned R&D site remain undisclosed.

Reuters