Jensen Huang Bets Big on Inference Chips as Computing Demand Surges

**AI PRISM* Customized Economic Briefing**

*Editor's note: 'AI PRISM' (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an AI-based customized news recommendation and summary service developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It selects and provides six tailored news items by reader type.*

1. Jensen Huang's Confidence: "Computing Demand to Increase One Million-Fold... We'll Sell 1,500 Trillion Won in AI Chips by Next Year"

- Key Summary: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang declared at his GTC 2026 keynote that the company will achieve $1 trillion (1,500 trillion won) in AI chip revenue by 2027. With agentic AI reaching an inflection point this year, inference demand is surging rapidly, and the latest AI accelerator "Vera Rubin" is expected to drive explosive growth. Nvidia also unveiled the Vera CPU dedicated to agentic AI and open-source software "Dynamo 1.0," strengthening its dominance in the inference market. Bank of America projects the CPU market will more than double from $27 billion in 2025 to $60 billion by 2030.

2. Two Chemical and Two Gas Carriers Stranded... Supply Chain Shock Intensifies

- Key Summary: For the first time, it has been confirmed that among the 26 Korean vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf due to the Hormuz Strait blockade, two chemical carriers and two gas carriers are included. Since 64% ($146.84 million) of last year's helium imports—essential for semiconductor production—came from Qatar, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have begun preparing countermeasures including helium recycling solutions. With exports to the Middle East increasing 39.3% from $14.68 billion in 2020 to $20.44 billion in 2025, concerns are rising that prolonged shipping disruptions could slow exports. The Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade stated that responses are needed not only for delays in mega-projects like the UAE's "Stargate" but also for a potential downturn in consumer goods markets including K-Beauty and K-Food.

3. "Direct Income Support Instead of Fuel Tax Cuts"... 'War Supplementary Budget' Grows

- Key Summary: President Lee Jae-myung has officially mentioned direct income support through a supplementary budget, bringing cash support measures similar to the universal livelihood support fund into view. A tiered payment system favoring lower-income brackets and residents of population-declining areas is considered likely, with surplus tax revenue potentially reaching 20 trillion won. President Lee expressed his preference for direct income support over fuel tax cuts, signaling minimal fuel tax reductions. The Hyundai Research Institute has analyzed that support focused on vulnerable groups and heavily impacted industries such as steel, petrochemicals, and construction would be most effective.

4. Jensen Huang Says "Thank You Samsung"... AI Alliance Evolves from HBM to Foundry

- Key Summary: Samsung Electronics has established itself as a core partner spanning all areas of Nvidia's next-generation AI accelerator platform. Beyond existing HBM4 and memory modules, the company has significantly expanded business cooperation by supplying Grok3 LPU chips through its foundry. Samsung Electronics unveiled the next-generation HBM4E for the first time, featuring operating speeds of 16Gbps and memory bandwidth of 4.0TB/s, surpassing current HBM4 performance. SK Hynix also revealed its HBM4 combined with Vera Rubin, consolidating its market dominance based on its 59% HBM market share from last year.

5. Trump's Freedom of Navigation Invoice

- Key Summary: President Trump has again demanded South Korea dispatch naval vessels to the Strait of Hormuz, mentioning the number of U.S. troops stationed in Korea. While only 1% of U.S. oil imports pass through Hormuz, South Korea depends on the Middle East for 70%, exposing structural vulnerability. The article diagnoses that amid the effective collapse of the WTO system and spreading nationalism, a grand strategy encompassing diplomacy, defense, economy, supply chains, and advanced technology centered on the Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral alliance is necessary. Analysis suggests that Korea's dependence on sea lanes has emerged as a fundamental challenge in a new order where tolls are being imposed on everything.

6. LG Energy Solution Hits 6 Trillion Won Battery Jackpot... "Customer is Tesla"

- Key Summary: The U.S. Department of the Interior has officially confirmed that Tesla is the customer for LG Energy Solution's $4.3 billion (approximately 6.4 trillion won) LFP battery supply contract. The batteries will be produced at a dedicated plant in Lansing, Michigan, and applied to Tesla's next-generation ESS system "Megapack 3," marking LG Energy Solution's first prismatic LFP battery customer. Samsung SDI has also signed ESS battery contracts worth 4.5 trillion won this year alone, as all three major battery makers launch an all-out offensive in the ESS market. With ESS demand in the U.S. exploding due to AI data center construction and renewable energy expansion, a breakthrough to offset weak EV performance is opening up.