"Samsung and HBM Talks", "This Is Happiness"—Jensen Huang, Lee Jae-yong, and Chung Eui-sun Toast to an 'AI Alliance'

[Gyeongju (North Gyeongsang Province) · Seoul = Jo Eun-hyo, Koo Ja-yoon, Kwon Jun-ho]"Chairman Lee Jae-yong is wealthy. He will pay." (Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia) "Okay, it's on me." (Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics)Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, and Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group—leaders driving the global expansion of artificial intelligence (AI)—held a dinner meeting at a chicken restaurant (Kkanbu Chicken) in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the evening of the 30th. The three linked arms for a 'love shot' toast. The venue was packed with reporters and onlookers eager to witness the meeting of Huang, Lee, and Chung.
Huang delighted the crowd inside and outside the restaurant by declaring, "I'll pay for every table here," showcasing his 'golden bell showmanship.' He led the lively atmosphere, even telling Chung Eui-sun it was "the best day of my life." When asked by reporters about the Chimaek gathering, Lee Jae-yong responded, "Now that the U.S. tariffs have been resolved, I've realized that happiness is nothing special. Sharing good food and drinks with good people—that is happiness."

This gathering drew global business attention as it brought together leaders from the AI, semiconductor, and automotive industries. Observers expect an imminent announcement of a 'three-way AI, mobility, and robotics technology alliance' among Nvidia, Samsung, and Hyundai Motor Group.
When asked by our reporters at the event, Huang said, "Tomorrow (31st) at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Gyeongju, I look forward to meeting President Lee Jae-myung. Nvidia has prepared several announcements with excellent partners." He added, "I've promised to let President Lee make the announcement," declining to reveal business details. Industry insiders are watching for a potential 'big deal' involving AI semiconductors, Data Centers, robotics, and GPU supplies among Nvidia, Samsung, and Hyundai Motor Group. Visiting Korea for the first time in 11 years, Huang promised to "bring gifts to delight the Korean people." As with the recent visit by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, which included a series of meetings with Lee Jae-yong and Chey Tae-won and a three-way meeting with President Lee Jae-myung, another round of high-profile gatherings for the Korea-U.S. AI alliance is expected.
This visit coincides with the 25th anniversary event of Nvidia's GeForce launch in Korea at COEX and a special keynote at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Gyeongju. Jensen Huang had been working to arrange a meeting with Lee Jae-yong for about a month. Discussions accelerated after the Korea-U.S. business roundtable during President Lee Jae-myung’s U.S. visit at the end of August, which became a hot topic due to a 'warm embrace' between the two. Initially, a meeting was planned among Chey Tae-won of SK Group, Lee Jae-yong, and Jensen Huang, but about a month ago, it was adjusted to include Lee Jae-yong, Chung Eui-sun, and Jensen Huang.
Hyundai Motor Group is a major client for Nvidia. Nvidia’s autonomous driving systems are a practical solution for Hyundai Motor and Kia. Meanwhile, Tesla is advancing next-generation technologies such as autonomous driving, robotaxi, smart cars, and robots, even launching Starlink satellites. The collaboration between Hyundai Motor Group and Nvidia could expand to AI Data Centers and robotics. In fact, the two sides signed a strategic partnership at the level of an 'AI Alliance' in January this year, aiming to cooperate in robotics, autonomous driving, and smart factories.
Following the dinner, Jensen Huang, Lee Jae-yong, and Chung Eui-sun plan to travel together to Gyeongju on the 31st, as previously announced by Huang. On the final day of the APEC CEO Summit (31st), Huang will also meet separately with Chey Tae-won and other SK Group executives. This series of meetings highlights the ongoing collaboration between Nvidia, Samsung, Hyundai Motor Group, and SK Group, centered around the AI industry. In its recent Q3 earnings call, SK hynix did not disclose its clients but announced it would supply HBM4 starting in Q4, effectively confirming Nvidia as a customer. Currently, only Nvidia is positioned to purchase HBM4.
Meanwhile, Lee Jae-yong, Chey Tae-won, Chung Eui-sun, and Koo Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG Group, are also scheduled to meet with major leaders, including Xi Jinping, President of China, who is visiting Korea for the first time in 11 years.
ehcho@fnnews.com Jo Eun-hyo, Koo Ja-yoon, Kwon Jun-ho Reporter