On the morning of June 8, 2026, the heart of Seoul’s business district buzzed with anticipation. Jensen Huang, the charismatic CEO of Nvidia, was set to kick off a whirlwind series of meetings at SK Group’s headquarters, a move that underscored the deepening ties between the U.S. tech giant and South Korea’s semiconductor powerhouses. The schedule was packed, but the stakes were clear: the future of artificial intelligence, high-bandwidth memory, and next-generation computing was on the table.
Huang’s first stop was SK Seorin Building in Jongno-gu, where he met with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won at 8:30 AM. According to Yonhap Infomax, the pair were joined by SK Hynix President Kwak No-jung, SK Telecom President Jung Jae-heon, and SK Telecom’s AI CIC Chief Technology Officer Jung Seok-geun. The gathering wasn’t just a formality; it was part of a series of high-level discussions aimed at strengthening cooperation across AI, semiconductors, and telecommunications.
The day before, on June 7, the group had warmed up with a more casual, yet symbolically loaded, meeting at the Kkanbu Chicken Samsung branch in Gangnam-gu. For about an hour, they shared fried chicken and beer—a ‘chimaek’ session that’s as Korean as it gets. But the conversation was all business. Huang told reporters, “We are cooperating across various industries, from AI supercomputers to CPUs, new PCs, and robotics.” (Hankyung). He wasn’t shy about Nvidia’s ambitions: “This year, we had a very big year with SK Hynix, and we are preparing for an even bigger second half and next year.”
The partnership between Nvidia and SK’s affiliates is already bearing fruit. Both SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics currently supply Nvidia with high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and DRAM products. The sixth-generation HBM4 from both companies is set to be installed in Nvidia’s next-generation AI accelerator, the much-anticipated Vera Rubin platform. “The Vera CPU will also use SK Hynix memory,” Huang added, emphasizing the breadth of their collaboration (Hankyung).
But it wasn’t just about SK. Huang’s visit to Korea was a diplomatic marathon, with each meeting reflecting the interconnectedness of the global tech ecosystem. After the SK session, Huang was scheduled to meet LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and LG Electronics CEO Ryu Jae-chul at LG Twin Towers in Yeouido. His itinerary also included stops at Seoul National University, Hyundai Motor’s Yangjae office, and Naver headquarters to meet Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin (Yonhap Infomax).
Still, the industry’s eyes were firmly fixed on Huang’s planned meeting with Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman and Device Solutions Division Head Jeon Young-hyun. The rendezvous, set for June 8, was shrouded in secrecy—no location or time was publicly disclosed—but insiders expected the talks to center on next-generation HBM and AI semiconductor cooperation. As reported by inews24, Samsung’s HBM supply strategy and AI memory collaboration were high on the agenda, especially given the ramp-up to mass production of Nvidia’s Vera Rubin platform.
Huang himself expressed excitement about the encounter. When asked by reporters at Kkanbu Chicken if he was looking forward to meeting Jeon Young-hyun, he replied, “I’m looking forward to seeing him.” He confirmed, “There are several meetings scheduled with Samsung.”
The Nvidia CEO also addressed his relationship with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who was notably absent during this visit due to an overseas business trip. But, as Huang revealed, the two had met just a few weeks prior in California, USA. “We had a wonderful dinner,” Huang said, a detail that, while personal, hinted at the depth of the ongoing dialogue between the two tech giants (inews24, Money Today, Newspim).
Industry observers see these repeated meetings as more than mere formalities. Over the past seven months, Huang and Chey Tae-won alone have met seven times, including twice during the Computex trade show in Taiwan earlier in June 2026. This frequency points to a rapidly evolving landscape where partnerships are continually reassessed and reinforced to keep pace with technological breakthroughs (inews24).
Much of the excitement centers on HBM4, the latest evolution in high-bandwidth memory. Both Samsung and SK Hynix are racing to supply Nvidia with HBM4 for its AI accelerators. The Vera Rubin platform, now in full production, will rely heavily on these advanced memory chips. “AI supercomputer Vera Rubin is in full production, and the innovative CPU Vera will also use SK Hynix DRAM,” Huang explained, highlighting the practical outcomes of these alliances (inews24).
Beyond hardware, the meetings delved into the future of telecommunications. Huang stressed that AI supercomputers would increasingly play a role in next-generation networks. “Telecommunications networks are currently just for transmitting data, but in the future, AI supercomputers will be more and more involved,” he said. “We are having many discussions with SK Telecom, and I hope we can reinvent the networks for the AI era.”
Samsung, for its part, is eager to cement its role as a key supplier to Nvidia. The company is actively pushing to supply HBM for Nvidia’s next-generation AI accelerators, with packaging cooperation also on the table. The June 8 meeting with Jeon Young-hyun was expected to address these very issues, as well as broader AI semiconductor strategies (Newspim).
While much of the attention was on the formal business, there were lighter moments too. During the June 7 chimaek session, Huang and Chey Tae-won were seen sharing chicken with both citizens and journalists—a gesture that, while simple, underscored the personal rapport that often underpins successful business relationships (News1).
As the dust settles on this whirlwind of meetings, it’s clear that the partnerships between Nvidia and Korea’s tech giants are more robust—and more crucial—than ever. With the AI era accelerating, the world will be watching to see how these alliances shape the next wave of innovation.