Samsung, SK go all out to celebrate Jensen Huang's Van Fleet Award
A video by Samsung Electronics congratulating Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on receiving the 2026 Van Fleet Award is displayed on a billboard in Times Square in New York, Monday (local time). Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics and SK Group each made a high-profile show of support for Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang after he received the Van Fleet Award, a prominent honor recognizing individuals who contribute to Korea-U.S. relations.
The two companies' efforts underscore the importance they place on ties with the artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator giant as competition for next-generation memory and computing technologies intensifies.
Samsung Electronics ran congratulatory videos for Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on a Times Square billboard in New York City on Sunday and Monday (local time), while Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong attended the Korea Society’s annual gala, where Huang received the award, in the city on Monday.
The Korea Society honored Huang for his “visionary leadership and transformative contributions” to the AI and semiconductor industries, which it said are central to the evolving Korea-U.S. economic partnership.
In his remarks at the gala, Lee highlighted Huang’s role in reshaping the technology industry and the significance of the bilateral partnership.
“He has made the company the center of everything happening in AI today and redefined what computing can do,” Lee said. “Now he is powering industries around the world and helping them build something far bigger.”
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won speaks at The Korea Society’s annual gala in New York, Monday (local time). Courtesy of The Korea Society
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won also attended the annual gala to congratulate Huang on receiving the award.
Chey highlighted the breadth of the partnership in his toast to Huang. “For Nvidia and SK, the partnership is simple. Nvidia designs the brain, and SK builds the memory,” he said. “Nvidia thinks lightning fast, and SK makes sure it never forgets. And whenever Jensen forgets something, he knows exactly who to call.”
The three last met at an AI summit in San Francisco in July, making the New York gathering their second meeting in about two months.
The two Korean executives made the trip to New York amid packed schedules. Chey arrived after accompanying President Lee Jae Myung on his trip to Mexico, while Lee was due to head to London after the gala for the final overseas exhibition of late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection.
Their latest show of support for Huang reflects Nvidia’s continued importance to both groups as they seek to strengthen their positions in the rapidly expanding AI market.
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are key suppliers of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and other advanced memory chips for Nvidia’s AI accelerators, but their partnerships with the U.S. chip giant have expanded to next-generation memory technologies and the broader AI infrastructure ecosystem.
Samsung is manufacturing Nvidia’s Groq 3 language processing units through its foundry business, while deploying Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs) across its manufacturing operations.
SK Group has also expanded cooperation with Nvidia across areas ranging from AI data centers to chip supplies, while SK hynix and Nvidia are working to jointly develop and optimize AI memory solutions.
Such ties have been reinforced through personal interactions among the companies’ top executives. In recent months, Lee and Chey have continued discussions with Huang, following their widely publicized fried chicken dinner meeting last year and another dinner over pork barbecue this year.
It remains unclear whether any specific business discussions took place on the sidelines of the award ceremony. But officials noted that maintaining close ties with Huang could prove valuable for both groups as their partnerships with Nvidia continue to expand.
“Nvidia itself holds an enormous influence across the AI ecosystem, but Huang’s personal influence is also significant,” an industry official said. “Maintaining close ties with the top executive appears to help strengthen the companies’ broader cooperation with Nvidia.”