Nvidia and South Korea's SK Group have expanded their AI partnership to more than $500 billion（約80兆円） in total initiatives, including a plan to build a 2-gigawatt AI cloud data center in South Korea starting in 2027. South Korea is investing approximately $950 billion（約150兆円） across AI-related projects with both domestic companies and U.S. technology firms to establish itself as a global AI infrastructure and semiconductor hub. The agreements also include Samsung Electronics signing a $200 billion（約32兆円）-plus memorandum with Broadcom for memory and foundry chips through 2030.
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Nvidia and South Korea's SK Group have expanded their AI collaboration with new agreements covering AI infrastructure and memory technology. SK Telecom plans to develop a 2-gigawatt AI cloud in South Korea using Nvidia's AI platform and Vera Rubin computing systems powered by SK hynix HBM4 memory chips, with the first data center expected to begin operations in 2027. SK hynix also entered a long-term agreement with Nvidia to supply advanced AI memory and jointly develop future High Bandwidth Memory technologies. Separately, Samsung Electronics signed a memorandum with Broadcom to provide memory and foundry chips through 2030 valued at more than $200 billion（約32兆円）.
Why it matters
The partnerships are part of South Korea's broader strategy to strengthen its position as a global AI infrastructure and semiconductor hub. The collaboration forms part of more than $500 billion（約80兆円） in AI initiatives between Nvidia and SK Group, while South Korea has outlined approximately $950 billion（約150兆円） in AI-related investments involving domestic companies and U.S. technology firms. These investments signal South Korea's commitment to building local AI infrastructure capacity and securing long-term memory supply chains critical for large language models and other AI workloads.
What to watch
SK Telecom's 2-gigawatt AI cloud data center is expected to begin operations in 2027. Samsung and Broadcom's memory and foundry chip agreement runs through 2030.
Nvidia and South Korea's SK Group have announced a significant expansion of their artificial intelligence partnership, marking a major step in South Korea's effort to become a global AI infrastructure hub. The collaboration encompasses multiple agreements focused on AI infrastructure and advanced memory technology development.
At the core of the partnership is SK Telecom's plan to develop a 2-gigawatt AI cloud infrastructure within South Korea. This cloud will run on Nvidia's AI platform and utilize Vera Rubin computing systems, which are powered by SK hynix HBM4 memory chips—advanced high-bandwidth memory designed for demanding AI workloads. SK Telecom expects to have its first data center operational by 2027. Complementing this infrastructure build, SK hynix has signed a long-term agreement with Nvidia under which SK hynix will supply advanced AI memory and the two companies will jointly develop next-generation High Bandwidth Memory technologies intended for large language models and other AI applications.
The Nvidia-SK Group collaboration is framed as part of a broader commitment exceeding $500 billion（約80兆円） in combined AI initiatives. In parallel, South Korea has announced approximately $950 billion（約150兆円） in AI-related investments that involve both domestic companies and U.S. technology partners. As a separate but related commitment, Samsung Electronics signed a memorandum of understanding with Broadcom to supply memory and foundry chips, with the agreement valued at more than $200 billion（約32兆円） and extending through 2030. South Korean government officials stated that these initiatives are designed to establish the country's position as a leading global AI infrastructure and semiconductor hub, reflecting a strategic focus on securing critical components and manufacturing capacity in the AI era.
South Korea is making a strategic bet on AI infrastructure dominance through coordinated public and private investment. The $500 billion（約80兆円） Nvidia-SK Group partnership represents the largest commitment, with SK Telecom building local data center capacity and SK hynix securing a long-term role as Nvidia's memory supplier. These arrangements address a critical bottleneck in AI deployment: advanced memory chips (HBM4) that enable faster processing of large language models. Samsung's separate $200 billion（約32兆円） commitment to Broadcom for memory and foundry services through 2030 reinforces South Korea's dual approach—building partnerships with foreign technology leaders while strengthening domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity.
The broader $950 billion（約150兆円） investment figure signals that South Korea views AI infrastructure as a national priority comparable to its historical focus on semiconductor and telecom manufacturing. By anchoring partnerships with Nvidia and Broadcom now, South Korea aims to secure supply chains and manufacturing hubs before other countries consolidate similar agreements. The 2027 timeline for SK Telecom's data center represents a near-term milestone that will test whether the country can execute at scale.
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