▲ Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang waves as he leaves the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center (SGBAC) in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, after arriving on a private jet on June 5.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited South Korea again today (June 5) and announced, "A surprise gift is prepared for Korea."
After arriving at Gimpo International Airport this afternoon, Huang met with reporters and responded to a question about whether he had a gift for Korea this time, saying, "I brought a lot of business for Korea."
When asked when he would reveal the surprise gift, he smiled and replied, "I can't tell you. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"
Huang's visit to South Korea comes about seven months after his last visit in late October last year.
▲ Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang waves to fans after arriving at the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center (SGBAC) in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on a private jet on June 5.
Dressed in his trademark black jacket and white pants, he explained the background of his visit, saying, "I want to express my gratitude to all of our partners and customers in Korea. We are doing a lot of very important work, and AI deployment is accelerating."
He added, "We achieved great results last year, and the Korean market is doing very well. The second half of the year will be much larger than the first half, and next year will be a very big year."
When asked if he plans to eat Korean barbecue (samgyeopsal) tonight, he replied, "I really love Korean barbecue. I also love Korean fried chicken, and samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) is the best. Everything is delicious."
Regarding the purpose of his visit, he explained, "It is mainly to coordinate the supply chain. The Grace Blackwell system is running smoothly, and Vera Rubin has entered full-scale mass production."
Regarding the quality testing of HBM4 suppliers—the semiconductor industry's biggest focus—he also revealed, "All three companies, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, have completed qualification and are currently in mass production. They are all competing to supply for Vera Rubin."
He also hinted that plans to establish an R&D center in South Korea are taking shape.
Huang said, "We have already started hiring for the Korea R&D center. South Korea is an optimal location for R&D investment, as it has excellent expertise in AI and robotics and is a world-class manufacturing hub."
He added, "Once we have secured enough personnel, we will also establish a physical site."
He pointed to robotics as the next-generation investment field.
Huang said, "South Korea possesses outstanding manufacturing, mechatronics, and AI, and the convergence of all these technologies is perfect robotics. With a massive local ecosystem in place to support the robot industry, this is a wonderful opportunity and a great future for Korea to invest in AI."
Huang will embark on a packed schedule starting today.
First, this evening, he will have a dinner meeting with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, and Naver Global Investment Officer Lee Hae-jin at 'Hyungnim Jeoyo,' a samgyeopsal (pork belly) restaurant in the Hongdae area.
During the so-called 'Sam-So' (samgyeopsal and soju) meeting, a wide range of cooperation plans—including AI semiconductors, robotics, physical AI, and AI data center infrastructure—are expected to be on the table.
On June 7, he will meet with NCSoft CEO Kim Taek-jin to discuss cooperation in the gaming and AI sectors.
On June 8, expected to be the final day of his visit, he will hold a private meeting at the Shilla Seoul with executives from major domestic AI startups such as Upstage, Nota, and AIM Intelligence, as well as robotics startups including Realworld, A-Robot, and NdotLight.
On the same day, plans are being coordinated for him to visit the Seoul National University AI Institute, its robotics lab, and the headquarters of LG Group, Hyundai Motor Group, and Naver.
Over the weekend, he is scheduled to appear on the tvN talk show 'You Quiz on the Block' and throw the ceremonial first pitch at a Doosan Bears home game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.