- Nvidia to supply 260,000 Blackwell chips powering South Korea’s sovereign AI strategy.
- Samsung, Hyundai, and SK deploy 50,000 GPUs each for AI factories and automation systems.
- Partnership marks one of Nvidia’s largest regional AI infrastructure expansions to date.
Nvidia will deliver over 260,000 of its Blackwell AI accelerator chips to South Korea as part of a nationwide effort to strengthen domestic artificial intelligence infrastructure. The plan, reported by Bloomberg, involves cooperation between the South Korean Ministry of Science, Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Group, and SK Group. Approximately 50,000 of the GPUs will be allocated to government-led data centers forming part of South Korea’s “sovereign AI” strategy, aimed at reducing reliance on foreign cloud networks.
According to officials, these chips will be distributed across national computing hubs such as the National AI Computing Center and private-sector facilities operated by Kakao, Naver, and NHN Cloud. The initiative supports the government’s broader plan to establish public–private data centers that manage AI workloads within national borders.
Samsung, Hyundai, and SK Prepare for Large-Scale GPU Deployment
Samsung Electronics plans to install more than 50,000 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs in a new facility described internally as an “AI factory.” The chips will be used to train proprietary AI models for internal systems and consumer devices. Nvidia stated that Samsung intends to modify its chip manufacturing lithography to integrate Nvidia GPUs, potentially enhancing performance efficiency.
The company also confirmed collaboration with Nvidia on optimizing its fourth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for better AI chip compatibility. In addition to deploying GPUs, Samsung supplies HBM components used in Nvidia’s AI processors.
Hyundai Motor Group will use a similar number of chips to power AI systems for autonomous vehicles, robotics, and manufacturing automation. The deployment will support model training on navigation data, sensor fusion, and production-line automation, reflecting Hyundai’s continued integration of AI in its vehicle and industrial development workflows.
SK Group’s rollout involves using Nvidia RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell processors to create what Nvidia described as Asia’s first industrial AI cloud. The infrastructure will apply AI across robotics and industrial production systems, expanding AI beyond digital applications to operational environments.
Nvidia Expands Global AI Footprint
The agreements coincide with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s visit to Seoul for the APEC CEO Summit, where he discussed expanding AI infrastructure in partnership with South Korea’s government and technology sector. Nvidia stated that it is cooperating closely with local authorities on AI leadership programs.
The company’s ongoing strategy to diversify outside China follows U.S. export restrictions on advanced GPU sales. Analysts note that South Korea’s collaboration represents one of Nvidia’s largest regional partnerships to date.