President Lee Jae Myung engaged with leaders from four major tech companies, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and urged them to increase their involvement in Korea's artificial intelligence (AI) investment initiatives.
The meetings occurred on the first day of Lee's two-day visit to San Francisco focused on fostering AI investment and collaboration between major tech companies and South Korea.
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Lee also held individual meetings with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic PBC CEO Dario Amodei, and Broadcom CEO Hock Tan.
In the meeting, the president commended Huang for being a leader in a "fundamental shift" occurring globally and presented Korea's newly revealed substantial investment initiatives to establish a semiconductor manufacturing hub and AI data facilities.
The strategies seek to generate additional momentum as rising global demand for semiconductors due to the AI surge has propelled South Korea into one of the leading chip supply centers worldwide.
Lee expressed optimism that the Nvidia CEO will have a larger role in South Korea's investment initiative, stating that the projects will aid in transforming the nation into an AI-centered society. Huang emphasized what he referred to as Koreans' passion for AI, highlighting that the nation has entered a golden age under Lee's guidance.
The president emphasized his commitment to establish Korea as a worldwide leader in the practical application of AI.
During a different discussion with Altman, the president reiterated his administration's efforts to reshape the national industrial framework focused on AI, mentioning his enjoyment of using OpenAI's ChatGPT. He also requested Altman to take a larger part in South Korea's investment strategies, while Altman referred to South Korea as one of the key nations globally in AI advancement.
During their meeting, Lee requested Amodei to focus on the AI sector in Korea. The president remarked, "As Korea intends to greatly boost investment in the AI industry, I anticipate Anthropic's focused attention, investment, and contributions." Amodei expressed gratitude to Lee, highlighting the importance the Korean government places on AI, and mentioned his anticipation for extensive collaboration with South Korea.
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He mentioned that Anthropic prioritizes collaboration with other firms and expressed optimism for working together with South Korea in multiple sectors, such as data centers. Amodei mentioned that his firm and South Korea's science ministry will formalize a memorandum of understanding regarding collaboration in AI security and the cyber sector.
In a separate meeting with the CEO of Broadcom, the president of Korea once more requested the company’s assistance and backing for Korea’s efforts to create an AI ecosystem.
Earlier, President Lee Jae Myung announced a vision to establish South Korea as a reliable production hub and supply partner for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors, pledging to position the nation as a significant global player in the AI supply chain. The announcement was made as Seoul aims to gain additional traction following increasing global demand for semiconductors, driven by the AI surge, which has enabled South Korea to transform into one of the key chip supply centers worldwide.
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Last month, South Korea unveiled three megaprojects requiring significant funding, amounting to more than 4,000 trillion won (US$2.73 trillion), focused on a semiconductor manufacturing hub, physical AI, and AI data centers. Lee also committed to initiatives aimed at developing new markets for the practical application of AI technology, including sectors like manufacturing and logistics, stating that the nation will also aim to serve as a testing ground for AI integration.