Nvidia disclosed multiple strategic partnerships with leading South Korean technology companies on Monday as the chip designer moves to reinforce memory-chip supply chains and broaden its artificial intelligence footprint. The agreements were announced during a visit to South Korea by CEO Jensen Huang that began on Friday.
SK Group said its units SK Hynix and SK Telecom have reached separate arrangements with Nvidia. SK Hynix agreed to a multi-year technology partnership focused on developing advanced memory chips intended for global AI data centers, according to SK Group statements.
The companies indicated the collaboration is intended to help memory supply keep pace with Nvidia's expanding activities in robotics, personal computers and AI supercomputers. The announcement noted that memory manufacturers have been responding to rising demand stemming from the AI surge, with indications of constrained supply that have driven a sharp rise in memory prices since mid-2025.
That market dynamic has been financially beneficial for memory suppliers including SK Hynix as well as Samsung Electronics and Micron, the statement said.
In a separate component of the South Korea visit, SK Telecom outlined plans to construct a gigawatt-scale AI cloud in the country using Nvidia technology. The partners said the first data center built for this program is scheduled to commence operations in 2027.
Internet company Naver and industrial group Doosan also announced they will deploy Nvidia technology to build AI data centers. Doosan, which develops robotics and supplies materials used in advanced AI chip manufacturing, said it expects its energy technology to be incorporated into Nvidia's data center platforms and plans to adopt Nvidia's physical AI technology components.
Nvidia's CEO also described ongoing work with LG Group on humanoid robots and data center projects following a meeting with LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo last week, underscoring multiple threads of collaboration across the South Korean technology ecosystem.
Financial terms for the agreements were not disclosed by the companies. The announcements collectively reflect Nvidia's efforts to lock in key inputs and infrastructure partners as it scales AI-related hardware and services.
Key points
- SK Hynix and SK Telecom have signed deals with Nvidia; SK Hynix's pact is a multi-year technology partnership for advanced memory chips for global AI data centers.
- SK Telecom intends to build a gigawatt-scale AI cloud in South Korea with Nvidia technology; the first data center is slated to begin operations in 2027.
- Naver and Doosan will use Nvidia technology to build AI data centers; Doosan also expects to integrate its energy technology with Nvidia's data center platforms. These developments impact the semiconductor, cloud infrastructure and industrial-robotics sectors.
Risks and uncertainties
- Financial terms of the partnerships were not disclosed, leaving the scale and duration of commitments unclear for investors and suppliers - this affects corporate finance visibility in the technology and semiconductor sectors.
- Memory supply constraints and price volatility, referenced in the announcements, present uncertainty for downstream production economics and AI data center deployment costs in the cloud and hardware markets.
- The timeline for SK Telecom's first AI data center is set for 2027; any delays or changes to that schedule could affect planned capacity rollouts and related capital spending across infrastructure and services providers.