[New York = E-Daily Correspondent Seong Joowon ] Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, announced that the company is embarking on the largest-scale artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure project in history and plans to build “smart factories” in partnership with South Korea. He cited South Korea’s manufacturing capabilities and technological adaptability as strengths for the AI era and emphasized a long-term, solid “AI tripartite alliance” with SamsungElectronics and SK hynix that will span decades. He also expressed strong confidence in South Korean companies, despite concerns that heavy reliance on them could pose supply chain risks.

“Long-term collaboration with Samsung and SK… We are building the future of ‘smart factories’ together.”

CEO Huang made these remarks on the 28th (local time) after receiving the Van Fleet Award for his contributions to the development of U.S.-Korea relations at the Korea Society’s “2026 Annual Gala

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held in New York, U.S. “We are undoubtedly at the dawn of the most important technology humanity has ever pursued,” he said. “The largest-scale industrial infrastructure project in history is underway globally, and this is literally and fundamentally transforming the landscape of every industry.”
The concept he put forward as the defining theme of this new era is the “smart factory”—a data center that takes in data and produces AI as its output. CEO Hwang highlighted Korea’s role in this massive global infrastructure transition. “There is no company or Saramin in the world who can build factories better than Koreans,” he said. “Now, Korea is moving beyond traditional factories to build ‘smart factories,’ and NVIDIA is building them together with Korea. I am very optimistic about the future we will build together,” he said.
Another strength of Korea that CEO Huang highlighted is the social atmosphere that rapidly embraces new technologies. He remarked, “There is a societal passion for technology in Korea,” adding, “The country has a strong capacity to take technology beyond development and disseminate it throughout society.”
“By leveraging AI and automation, we can achieve results far beyond our size,” he said, adding, “I have witnessed Korea’s transformation from a country that adopted technology to one now standing at the forefront of technology.” He went on to describe Korea’s transformation as “an amazing miracle,” emphasizing, “At a time when U.S.-Korea relations are more important than ever, we find ourselves standing at the intersection of these two great nations.”
In the current market environment, where the diversification of global supply chains is a key issue, he expressed unlimited confidence in the South Korean semiconductor industry and its partners. When asked whether the high degree of reliance on SamsungElectronics and SK hynix poses a supply chain risk, CEO Huang responded, “South Korea’s manufacturing capabilities and production capacity are absolutely world-class,” adding, “If we must rely on anyone to manufacture the components essential to NVIDIA’s growth, I could not be more confident in relying on SK, Samsung, and South Korea.”
CEO Huang revealed that NVIDIA has already been engaged in product development with SamsungElectronics and SK hynix for several years. “An AI factory infrastructure worth hundreds of billions of dollars must be planned years in advance,” he explained. This implies that collaboration is a long-term endeavor, as the semiconductors and production capacity required to build such large-scale facilities must be prepared well in advance.
The scope of collaboration extends beyond semiconductors. He explained that they are expanding their partnership to include robotics, power infrastructure, autonomous driving, and the development of Korea’s proprietary AI models. “Our collaboration with Korea goes far beyond simply manufacturing semiconductor chips; it is broad and deep, encompassing robotics, power infrastructure, autonomous driving, and the development of proprietary AI models,” he emphasized. “Just as we have done for the past 33 years, we will continue to drive innovation alongside Korea for the next 33 years.”
U.S

.-Korea AI Alliance… Three-Way Collaboration Moves Forward

At the event, SamsungElectronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won—both of whom have maintained long-standing, close relationships with CEO Hwang—attended in person to offer their congratulations, showcasing the strong partnership between Korea’s top two semiconductor leaders and NVIDIA. Recalling the story of how he first met CEO Huang 25 years ago at CES, the world’s largest consumer electronics and IT exhibition, he said, “Even back then, he was a passionate person who dreamed bigger than anyone else and poured everything into the vision he believed in.” Chairman Lee went on to say, “We are all ‘all-in’ on AI right now. CEO Huang has transformed NVIDIA from a mere chip design company into the center of all innovation in the AI field.”
Chairman Chey Tae-won likened the relationship between NVIDIA and SK to “the brain and memory.” Chairman Chey emphasized, “If NVIDIA designs an outstanding brain, SK creates the memory essential for that brain to function,” adding, “When NVIDIA thinks as fast as lightning, SK plays the role of ensuring that those precious thoughts and data are never forgotten.”
He also highlighted how the scope of the U.S.-Korea alliance is expanding into high-tech industries. Referring to how General Van Fleet forged the U.S.-Korea alliance on the battlefield 70 years ago, Chairman Choi remarked, “Now, the front lines have shifted from the battlefield to data centers.” He then drew laughter by remarking, “The commander leading this advance in cutting-edge technology wears a black leather jacket instead of a military uniform.” In his toast, Chairman Choi added, “I hope our strong partnership expands at a pace far faster than the growth in global GPU demand.”