[Edaily Reporter Yoon Jeong-hoon] Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, officially announced a comprehensive “AI alliance” with #SK Telecom (SKT), following the partnership with #SK Hynix, and predicted a long-term boom in the global AI market. The plan goes beyond simple semiconductor supply chain cooperation to jointly build national-level AI infrastructure.

At a press briefing held on the 8th at the SK Seorin Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, CEO Huang emphasized, “We are at the forefront of building global AI infrastructure, and the future is incredibly bright.”

He repeatedly mentioned the trusted relationship with SK Group for building an AI ecosystem. “SK is our largest memory partner,” he said, adding, “Without SK’s partnership today, the current AI industry would not exist.”

Partnering with SKT to Build an ‘AI Factory’ in Korea... “AI Is the Future Driving Force of the Nation”

One of the key pillars of this alliance is infrastructure cooperation with SKT. NVIDIA and SKT have agreed to jointly build an “AI Factory (AIDC infrastructure)” in South Korea.

CEO Hwang noted that while Korea possesses excellent AI researchers and a strong manufacturing base, making it the ideal country to foster next-generation physical AI and robotics, the current AI infrastructure is woefully inadequate.

He explained, “Just as electricity, water, and the internet transformed the country in the past, AI will become the driving force of the nation in the future,” adding, “Through our partnership with SKT, we will build essential infrastructure that universities, research institutes, and startups can utilize freely.”

He also touched on the evolution of future telecommunications networks (Telco). CEO Hwang promised to work closely with SKT on building the underlying telecommunications infrastructure, stating, “Future telecommunications networks will not merely transmit bits; they will be fully integrated with AI.”

“We’re only in the first year of building AI infrastructure… the boom will continue for at least the next 10 years”

CEO Hwang directly refuted concerns raised in some market circles regarding an AI bubble or a “peak-out” (passing the peak). His analysis is that large-scale investment in infrastructure has only just begun.

CEO Hwang stated, “Just as the internet has become essential global infrastructure, AI will also become indispensable global infrastructure,” adding, “We are only in the first year of infrastructure development, and infrastructure build-out will continue for at least 10 years or more.”

The basis for this long-term boom is the exploding demand for customized GPU computing, driven not only by the demand for cutting-edge AI from big tech companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google Gemini, but also by the diversification of AI across all industries, including biotechnology, physics, and quantum computing.

Seemingly mindful of recent stock price volatility, CEO Hwang stated, “The future of AI is absolutely bright, and this is a foregone conclusion,” adding, “No matter what happens in the stock market, investors should actually be pleased because they now have the opportunity to buy shares at a lower price.”