Nvidia chief meets Samsung, Hyundai leaders ahead of biz tie announcement

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, left, poses with Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun, center, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at a fried chicken restaurant in Seoul, Thursday. Newsis

Leaders of U.S. tech giant Nvidia, Samsung Group and Hyundai Motor Group gathered in Seoul on Thursday as the companies plan to announce details of their business cooperation in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector this week.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met with Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun and Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong for beers at a fried chicken restaurant in southern Seoul.

Huang was also seen handing gifts to Chung and Lee, with a message reading, "To our partnership and the future of the world!"

Before entering the restaurant, Huang told reporters he looked forward to meeting President Lee Jae Myung on Friday and that there would be various announcements on ongoing projects.

The Nvidia head noted there have also been talks with Samsung on the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) sector and that further discussions will follow.

Huang arrived in Korea earlier in the day to take part in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit, and meet with a slew of local and global business leaders.

The Nvidia chief, who is visiting Korea for the first time since 2010, is also scheduled to attend an event in southern Seoul marking the 25th anniversary of the launch of his company's GeForce graphics processing unit.

On Friday, Huang will participate in the APEC CEO Summit underway in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and unveil the U.S. tech giant's vision for collaboration with Korean businesses.

Huang said during an event in Washington on Tuesday (U.S. time) there will be a "delightful" announcement for Koreans and U.S. President Donald Trump during his trip to Asia's No. 4 economy.

Sources said Nvidia is expected to sign supply agreements for artificial intelligence chips with Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group and Naver.