Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said both Taiwan and Korea are "very special" when asked to compare the two countries' semiconductor industries, as global companies accelerate alliances around the artificial intelligence (AI) industry.
According to Taiwan's Central News Agency on Tuesday, Huang met with reporters the previous day at "GTC Taipei," Nvidia's annual AI conference held in Taipei, where he was asked to compare the semiconductor industries of Korea and Taiwan.
In response, Huang said there is "no need to choose (between the two), and comparing them is not important" in the semiconductor industry. "Taiwan is very special. Korea is very special. It is possible for both to be very special at the same time," he said.
Huang has been meeting with local semiconductor industry figures one after another since arriving in Taiwan on October 23, including a dinner with TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei. He will also attend "Computex," Asia's largest information technology (IT) expo, which runs from the 2nd through the 5th of this month.
After completing his Taiwan schedule, Huang is set to visit Korea around the 5th. During his visit, he is expected to meet with major Korean group chairmen and executives, including SK Group Chairman Tae-won Choi, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung, LG Group Chairman Kwang-mo Koo, and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin. In particular, the possibility of a so-called "samgyeopsal meeting" in Seoul has been raised, drawing growing attention from inside and outside the business community.
Huang explained that the most important purpose of this visit to Korea is to personally thank and congratulate Korean partner companies. He also expressed his affection for Korean food. He said he hoped to visit chicken, samgyetang, and samgyeopsal restaurants.
He also emphasized his ties with Korea. Citing Korea as the birthplace of e-sports and PC bang culture, Huang said, "Since the early days of Nvidia's 'GeForce' graphics cards, Korea has always been very close to my heart."
A dinner event held the previous day for Korean companies also drew attention. The gathering, dubbed "Korea Partner Night," was attended by about 100 officials from more than 30 Korean companies that have partnerships with Nvidia. Attendees included SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung, Samsung Electronics Memory Business Vice President Kim Jae-jun, LG Science Park Representative Vice President Jeong Su-heon, Doosan Robotics CEO Kim Min-pyo, and Naver Cloud CEO Kim Yu-won.
The dinner venue also drew attention on Taiwan's online platforms. Taiwan's United Daily News reported that the relatively low menu prices at the restaurant, compared with the stature of the attendees, became a talking point. Most menu items at the restaurant were priced between 100 and 220 Taiwan dollars, or approximately 5,000 to 11,000 won. Fried rice and stir-fried noodles were 150 Taiwan dollars, or about 7,000 won, while the most expensive seafood hot pot was 700 Taiwan dollars, or about 34,000 won.
Reactions on Taiwanese online platforms included comments such as "the menu prices are cheaper than a company dinner" and "the cheapest AI summit in the world." United Daily News assessed that Huang's choice of a restaurant showcasing Taiwanese character over a five-star hotel was a scene that demonstrated his "table diplomacy" philosophy. While the menu prices were low, large-scale business opportunities surrounding the global AI industry were being exchanged at the table.
Meanwhile, in his GTC Taipei keynote speech, Huang stressed that the era of "agentic AI" is fully arriving. Agentic AI refers to AI that goes beyond simple chatbots that answer questions and performs tasks on behalf of users.
Citing the emergence of AI agents as the key backdrop for a transformation in computing models, he said, "Everything has changed in the past six months. With the implementation of agents, AI can now do truly useful work."
Huang predicted that all computing equipment will eventually follow the same agentic AI computing architecture. "This architecture will be embedded not only in data centers but also in personal computers (PCs), automobiles, humanoids, factory equipment, base stations, and satellites," he said.
