In San Francisco on July 24 (local time), President Lee Jae-myung issued an 'AI Declaration,' vowing that 'Korea will rise as an irreplaceable core of the global AI supply chain.' At the same event, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said he was 'announcing a $500 billion partnership with the SK Group,' previewing sweeping cooperation with Korean firms. The heads of Korea's four biggest groups—Lee Jae-yong, Chey Tae-won, Chung Euisun and Lee Hae-jin—all attended.
At the top-level AI gathering, President Lee said Korea would 'be a trustworthy partner,' stressing its role across the AI cycle—chips, data centers and power—Chosun Ilbo and Kyunghyang Shinmun reported. The government dubbed it the 'San Francisco AI Declaration,' framing Korea as a supply-chain hub that the U.S. and other major powers cannot do without.
광고 문의 · 300×250Attendees included Samsung Electronics chair Lee Jae-yong, SK chair Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group chair Chung Euisun and Naver board chair Lee Hae-jin, alongside U.S. big-tech leaders such as Nvidia's Jensen Huang and OpenAI's Sam Altman. The Korean chiefs visited Nvidia's headquarters for back-to-back talks with Huang.
A $500 billion partnership
Huang announced a $500 billion business partnership with SK. Nvidia will cooperate with SK Hynix and Samsung on chip and memory design, including high-bandwidth memory (HBM); back Naver with large investment and global-expansion support; and co-develop self-driving-equipped vehicles with Hyundai Motor Group. The final terms and timing of the figure are expected to be set in future contracts.
Meeting Lee, Huang said Korea would 'enjoy a golden age of the AI era,' and Lee replied that he hoped 'Nvidia will play an even bigger role.' Both sides agreed Korea could be a key link in an 'AI industrial chain' running from semiconductors to power and data centers.
Enthusiasm and a cooler eye
Business welcomed the tie-up with the world's largest AI-chip maker but noted the headline number is not the same as committed investment. The $500 billion is likely a multi-year sum of purchases, investment and cooperation, and actual delivery will hinge on market, regulatory and technological conditions. Analysts say domestic capacity in memory, power and talent must keep pace for the 'core nation' vision to materialize.
The government said it would speed up AI infrastructure investment, talent training and grid expansion on the back of the trip. With tariff and trade talks under way with Washington, Korea's standing in the AI supply chain could also serve as leverage in future negotiations.
A third lens
Sinophone Bridge Times does not reduce this 'AI summit diplomacy' to one government's achievement. Behind the vast figures lies hard industrial competition over memory, power and materials; amid the U.S.-China tech rivalry, Korea's position is both opportunity and risk. For Chinese entrepreneurs rooted in Korea, a reshaped AI supply chain means new markets and new rules in components, logistics and investment. Speed and transparency of execution matter more than political slogans.
