Nvidia and the South Korean government announced an expanded partnership to enhance the nation's artificial intelligence infrastructure and "physical AI" capabilities during the APEC Summit 2025. This collaboration includes a commitment from South Korea to acquire over 260,000 of Nvidia's latest GPUs, with more than 200,000 allocated to major industrial entities such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor Group, and Naver.
The South Korean government stated that approximately 50,000 GPUs will support public initiatives, including the development of domestic AI foundation models and a national AI data center. The remaining units are designated for driving AI-based manufacturing innovation and industry-specific AI model development across participating companies.
Samsung announced plans to establish an "AI Megafactory" in partnership with Nvidia, integrating AI across its semiconductor, mobile device, and robotics manufacturing processes. This facility is projected to utilize over 50,000 Nvidia GPUs and the Omniverse platform to create an intelligent network capable of real-time production analysis, prediction, and optimization. Samsung and Nvidia are also collaborating on HBM4, a next-generation memory designed for future AI applications. Additionally, Nvidia, Samsung, Korean telecom operators SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus, along with ETRI (Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute), will co-develop AI-RAN, a technology combining mobile base stations with AI to enhance performance and reduce battery consumption, according to the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT.
Hyundai Motor Group and Nvidia are jointly building AI infrastructure to advance "physical AI" technologies, focusing on autonomous mobility, smart factories, and robotics. This partnership involves the deployment of 50,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs for integrated AI model training, validation, and deployment, alongside the establishment of AI research centers in South Korea, as stated by Nvidia. Jensen Huang, Nvidia CEO, remarked that "AI is revolutionizing every facet of every industry," noting the transformation of transportation through AI and computing platforms.
Further collaborations include SK Group, parent of SK Hynix, partnering with Nvidia to develop Asia's first enterprise-led manufacturing AI cloud, leveraging Nvidia's simulation and digital twin platforms. Naver Cloud is collaborating with Nvidia to create a next-generation "Physical AI" platform designed to connect physical and digital environments. Naver stated that this initiative aims to deploy AI infrastructure across key sectors such as semiconductors, shipbuilding, energy, and biotechnology. Hae-jin Lee, founder of Naver, noted in a company statement that "the era of 'Physical AI,' where AI operates directly within real industrial sites and systems, is unfolding."
These partnerships follow recent technology agreements between the U.S. and both Japan and South Korea, which aim to deepen strategic ties and boost collaboration in emerging technologies, including AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, and 6G. Nvidia recently surpassed a $5 trillion market capitalization, following a series of new global partnerships announced by the company.
