Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has returned to South Korea after seven months, embarking on an ambitious push to expand his "artificial intelligence (AI) alliance." On Friday evening, while holding a "Samso meeting" — sharing samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) with soju — alongside SK Group Chairman Tae-won Choi, LG Group Chairman Kwang-mo Koo, and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin at "Hyungnim Jeoyo," a samgyeopsal restaurant near Hongik University Station, Huang told reporters that "the location of the AI technology center to be established in Korea will be Seoul." He added, "This time I have brought four new business opportunities, including the Vera Rubin AI accelerator." Nvidia recently posted job openings in the physical AI field with Seoul as the work location on its website. Huang, who began his four-day visit to Korea by meeting e-sports gaming star "Faker" (Lee Sang-hyeok), will also meet with the heads of Doosan, NC, and Hyundai Motor during his stay.
During this visit, Huang's focus is particularly concentrated on the physical AI field. He emphasized that day that "Korea's next major industry is robotics," stressing that "when excellent capabilities in manufacturing technology, mechatronics, and AI combine, it fits perfectly with robotics." The majority of companies Huang will visit during his stay are those waging all-out efforts in the physical AI field. As the central stage of global AI competition rapidly shifts from generative AI to physical AI such as robots and mobility, it carries great significance that Nvidia is paying such attention to Korea's competitiveness, which encompasses a world-class manufacturing base, semiconductor supply chains, industrial robot competitiveness, and digital infrastructure. Huang's visit is tantamount to confirming Korea's potential as a key hub for physical AI, the backbone of the next-generation AI ecosystem.
Physical AI is a crucial future foundation for sustainable growth for Korea, a country with a manufacturing-based, export-dependent economic structure and a declining population. This is why the government set "world No. 1" in physical AI as a goal in its economic growth strategy last year. Our manufacturing data and robotics capabilities accumulated in semiconductors, automobiles, batteries, and shipbuilding are powerful advantages in the physical AI era. If the "Samso meeting" becomes the launch point for advancing a global "physical AI alliance" and a major leap for K-robotics, Korea could seize the initiative in the coming global AI competition. To avoid missing this golden opportunity, the government must remove regulations that hinder building a physical AI ecosystem and spare no bold support so that companies can run freely.
