Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to visit South Korea: source

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang is expected to visit South Korea next week, a source familiar with the matter told AFP on Saturday, as the country rides a boom in artificial intelligence.

The source, in South Korea's tech industry, who is not permitted to speak publicly, told AFP that Huang is due to arrive June 5 and attend a "key event" in Seoul days later.

The chief executive of the world's most valuable company is expected to meet with companies including SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group, LG Corp and Naver, to discuss so-called "physical AI" applications such as robotics, local media including the Chosun Daily and MBC reported.


His expected arrival will come after attending an AI conference in Taipei, local media reports said.

A Nvidia spokesperson told AFP plans to travel to South Korea are "undecided", without providing further detail.

It comes as a global artificial intelligence boom drives strong demand for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix memory chips, helping support South Korea's economic growth and stock market rally.

SK hynix -- the major supplier of high-bandwidth-memory products to Nvidia -- topped $1 trillion in market value for the first time on Wednesday, joining rivals Samsung Electronics and US-based Micron Technology as an AI-driven rally lifted chip stocks.

Huang previously made headlines after visiting South Korea for the APEC summit in the southern city of Gyeongju last year, where he announced Nvidia will supply 260,000 of its most cutting-edge chips to South Korea.

During the visit Huang also travelled to Seoul where he drew crowds of spectators as he indulged in fried Korean chicken and beer or "chimaek" with Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Eui-sun.