Lee Jae-yong, Chey Tae-won, Chung Eui-sun Hold Successive Meetings with Jensen Huang... 'Korea-U.S. AI Alliance in October' [Gyeongju APEC]

[Gyeongju (North Gyeongsang Province) – Cho Eun-hyo, Kwon Jun-ho]Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, and Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, are set to hold a series of meetings with Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Gyeongju. The discussions are expected to focus on concrete collaborations in AI semiconductors, data centers, and robotics. Earlier this month, Lee Jae-yong and Chey Tae-won met with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, to pursue a major AI semiconductor partnership. Now, expectations are rising for a second major AI semiconductor deal in October. There is also growing attention on the possibility of a meeting between Donald Trump, former U.S. President, and the heads of major Korean conglomerates. The Korea-U.S. economic alliance appears to be strengthening, particularly in AI semiconductors, shipbuilding, and defense.

Starting with the official side events of the APEC CEO Summit on the 28th, more than 1,700 global business leaders, including the heads of Korea’s four major conglomerates—Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, and LG Group—will gather in Gyeongju through the 31st. Intense discussions are expected on cooperation in advanced industries such as AI, digital, and biotechnology.
This APEC Summit and CEO Summit are not only a pivotal moment for tariff negotiations and the international trade order between the U.S., China, and Korea, but also a key venue for collaboration among leaders in the AI industry, who will shape the future of industrial dominance.
Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group and Chair of the APEC CEO Summit as well as the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), will officially open the summit on the 29th and personally welcome U.S. President Donald Trump, who will visit Korea as a state guest and attend the APEC CEO Summit. President Trump will deliver a special keynote address during his visit. Xi Jinping, President of China, and Sanae Takaichi, the new Prime Minister of Japan, are also expected to deliver keynote speeches.

On the 30th, a dinner meeting is scheduled in Seoul between Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, and Chairmen Lee Jae-yong and Chung Eui-sun. The three previously met at the Korea-U.S. Business Roundtable in Washington, D.C. at the end of August. The upcoming meeting in Seoul is expected to address next-generation AI semiconductor collaboration between Samsung Electronics and Nvidia, including High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) 4, as well as cooperation between Hyundai Motor Group and Nvidia on smart cars (SDVs), AI data centers, and robotics. Earlier this year, Hyundai Motor Group signed a strategic partnership with Nvidia to drive mobility innovation.
An industry official noted, “CEO Huang plans to discuss a range of AI collaborations with the Korean government, Samsung, SK, and Hyundai Motor, including the 25th anniversary of Nvidia’s GeForce launch in Korea.” On the final day of the event, the 31st, CEO Huang will present Nvidia’s vision for AI, robotics, and autonomous driving targeting the Korean and Northeast Asian AI markets in a special session.
Recently, Samsung and SK have agreed to fully cooperate with Nvidia, OpenAI, and SoftBank Group on the massive AI infrastructure initiative known as the Stargate Project. As a result, the meetings in Seoul and Gyeongju could mark a turning point in the global AI supply chain.
In addition to CEO Huang, the event will feature global tech leaders such as Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS); Simon Kahn, Vice President of Google APAC; Simon Milner, Vice President of Meta; Anthony Cook and Ulrich Homann, Vice Presidents of Microsoft; and others as speakers. Other notable attendees include Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup; Joaquin Duato, CEO of Johnson & Johnson; Daniel Pinto, Vice Chairman of J.P. Morgan; Masayuki Omoto, CEO of Marubeni; Toshiaki Tokunaga, CEO of Hitachi; Li Fanrong, Chairman of Sinochem; Zeng Yuqun, Chairman of CATL; and David Hill, CEO of Deloitte Asia Pacific.
ehcho@fnnews.com Cho Eun-hyo, Kwon Jun-ho Reporter