South Korea has unveiled one of the world’s most ambitious artificial intelligence investment drives, announcing $950 billion in new AI initiatives involving Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Nvidia, Broadcom and several leading U.S. AI companies. The announcement highlights the intensifying global race to secure advanced chips and computing infrastructure as demand for generative AI continues to surge.
The investment plans were revealed following an AI summit hosted by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in San Francisco, where government officials, technology executives and AI leaders gathered to discuss the next phase of AI development. The partnerships aim to strengthen semiconductor manufacturing, expand AI data centres and secure long-term supplies of advanced memory chips needed to power increasingly sophisticated AI models.
Nvidia and SK Group Lead Multi-Billion-Dollar AI Expansion
A significant portion of the investment comes through SK Group, which announced agreements worth approximately $750 billion. Among them is a partnership between SK Hynix and Nvidia valued at more than $500 billion, focused on expanding AI infrastructure and developing next-generation memory technologies.
The collaboration includes a long-term agreement to supply Nvidia with advanced HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) chips while jointly developing future memory solutions designed for AI model training, AI agents and physical AI systems. As AI models become larger and more computationally demanding, HBM has become one of the most critical components for improving performance and reducing bottlenecks inside AI servers.
The companies also revealed plans for SK Telecom to build a 2-gigawatt AI data centre powered by Nvidia’s upcoming Vera Rubin AI platform alongside SK Hynix’s next-generation HBM4 memory. The facility is expected to begin operations in 2027, adding substantial computing capacity for future AI workloads.
Samsung Strengthens AI Partnership With Broadcom
Samsung Electronics also announced a major memorandum of understanding with Broadcom, covering projects worth up to $200 billion. The agreement spans memory chips, semiconductor manufacturing and advanced chip packaging technologies that are becoming increasingly important as AI processors grow more powerful and complex.
Under the partnership, Samsung will work with Broadcom on developing the company’s next-generation AI accelerator using Samsung’s HBM technology. The agreement also includes Samsung providing its advanced sub-2-nanometre foundry process and cutting-edge packaging services, areas where semiconductor manufacturers are investing heavily to meet growing demand from AI developers.
The announcements reflect a broader shift across the technology industry. Rather than simply purchasing chips when needed, major AI companies are entering long-term strategic partnerships to guarantee future supply as competition for advanced semiconductors continues to intensify.
AI Leaders Warn Demand for Chips Will Keep Rising
Speaking during the summit, President Lee said South Korea intends to play a central role in expanding artificial intelligence worldwide by offering its “dynamic AI ecosystem” to global technology partners. He also introduced a “San Francisco AI Declaration,” outlining the country’s vision for deeper AI cooperation with the United States and international technology companies.
Lee said, “I’d like to present a vision for the future of AI and propose global cooperation to make it happen.” During the visit, he also met Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, alongside senior executives from Samsung, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group and Naver.
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won suggested that demand for AI memory chips may grow even faster than current industry forecasts. Referring to conversations with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Chey said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if, the next time I see (Huang), he’ll tell me those figures were too low and say, ‘I want more.'” He added that Broadcom expects demand for memory to exceed available supply, while OpenAI has encouraged SK Group to supply chips directly to support its expanding AI infrastructure.
Chey also revealed that Anthropic has been regularly checking on future chip availability as it expands beyond AI model development into building its own computing capacity. Although Anthropic did not comment on reports that it may design its own chips, the company confirmed it has supply agreements with both Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.
The latest announcements underscore how AI infrastructure has become one of the world’s biggest technology investment priorities. Governments, semiconductor manufacturers and AI developers are committing unprecedented amounts of capital to secure computing resources capable of supporting future AI systems. With South Korea positioning itself as a global semiconductor powerhouse, the country’s latest initiatives could further strengthen its role at the centre of the rapidly expanding AI ecosystem.
