Nvidia Gears Up to Unveil Cutting-Edge AI Collaborations with Samsung and Hyundai

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is heading to South Korea this week to announce major new chip supply deals with the country's biggest companies, including Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor Group. These partnerships could help Nvidia expand in a key market as it faces growing restrictions in China due to the US-China trade dispute.

The timing makes sense for both sides. Nvidia needs new markets as Washington keeps tightening export controls on AI chip sales to China. Meanwhile, South Korean companies want reliable access to the graphics processing units they need to build and run AI systems.

Beyond Samsung and Hyundai, Nvidia plans to supply chips to SK Group, which is building a massive $4.9 billion AI data center in South Korea. SK Group owns SK Hynix, one of the world's major memory chip makers, so this partnership could create interesting synergies in the semiconductor supply chain.

Huang is expected to reveal these deals before attending the APEC CEO summit in Gyeongju on Friday. The announcement comes as part of a broader Asian tour where he's also scheduled to meet with former President Donald Trump.

When asked about potential South Korea deals at a Nvidia event in Washington on Tuesday, Huang stayed quiet on specifics but hinted he might have more to share soon. The secrecy suggests these could be substantial agreements worth significant money.

For investors, this represents Nvidia's strategy to diversify away from China while South Korea emerges as a major AI hub. The country's tech giants have been racing to catch up in artificial intelligence, and securing Nvidia's most advanced chips gives them a real competitive edge in that race.