South Korea’s science minister said on 13 November that Nvidia had reaffirmed plans to deploy up to 260,000 GPUs in the country despite Jensen Huang’s resignation, Yonhap reported. The plan matters to Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group and Naver Cloud, which are set to build AI computing centres using Nvidia’s Blackwell GPUs.
Key points
- Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said Nvidia remains committed to deploying up to 260,000 GPUs in South Korea.
- A ministry official said Nvidia’s Korea head described the supply plan as a company commitment, rather than one dependent on Huang.
- South Korea’s science ministry and National AI Strategy Committee held separate emergency meetings on 13 November.
Ministry checks Nvidia Korea’s GPU commitment
South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT held an emergency meeting on the morning of 13 November to review domestic GPU supply and its cooperation projects with Nvidia, Financial News reported. Second Vice Minister Ryu Jemyoung chaired the meeting, which followed Huang’s resignation as Nvidia chief executive and Colette Kress’s move into the interim role.
A ministry official said the government had spoken directly with the head of Nvidia Korea and had been told the GPU supply would continue without disruption. The official described the planned provision of 260,000 GPUs as a commitment made by Nvidia as a company, rather than by Huang personally.
That is the new assurance behind a plan the government was already counting on. AI Affairs previously reported South Korea’s expectation that contracted Nvidia GPU deliveries would proceed; the ministry has now sought an answer from the company’s Korea operation following the leadership change.
Blackwell plans involve four Korean partners
Nvidia announced the South Korean GPU supply plan in October as part of an effort to build large AI facilities in the country. The arrangements involve Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group and Naver Cloud, each with plans for an AI computing centre powered by Blackwell GPUs.
Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said in a Facebook post that business cooperation would continue despite Huang’s departure and that his ministry had met with Nvidia on outstanding matters, according to Yonhap. His statement puts the government’s account of the commitment alongside the more detailed account given by the ministry official of its contact with Nvidia Korea.
AI committee considers domestic chip options
South Korea’s National AI Strategy Committee also held an emergency inspection meeting on 13 November, Maeil Business reported. It examined whether Nvidia’s management change could affect GPU supply schedules, technical support and AI infrastructure projects involving the government and Korean companies.
The committee discussed a broader mix of computing resources, including domestic AI semiconductors and neural network processing units, or NPUs — chips designed for AI calculations. Shin Jin-woo, who heads its technology innovation and infrastructure subcommittee, said cooperation with Nvidia should continue while South Korea makes greater use of GPUs it has secured and expands its computing options.
