Nvidia CEO attends Kiwoom Heroes-Doosan Bears game at Jamsil Stadium
Swaps signature leather jacket for Doosan uniform
'There's nothing better than chimaek,' Huang tells crowd
Meets Doosan Group Chairman Park Jung-won before taking the mound
Doosan and Doosan Robotics shares rise on robotics cooperation hopes
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang threw the ceremonial first pitch Saturday at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul ahead of the Kiwoom Heroes-Doosan Bears game.
Taking the microphone on the mound, Huang shouted "Korea!" to the crowd. "Nvidia and Korea have grown together in the technology industry — in PC gaming, video and beyond," he said. "Thank you for welcoming me and my family."
Trading his signature leather jacket for a Doosan uniform, Huang drew loud cheers as he declared from the mound: "I came here to be with great partners."
He also drew a roar from the crowd by pronouncing the Korean word "chimaek" — a portmanteau of chicken and beer — himself. "I came to enjoy Korea's KFC," he said. "There's nothing better than chimaek."
The pitch sailed wide toward the batter's box, but the crowd erupted in cheers nonetheless.
Huang wore a Doosan uniform bearing the number 93, representing the year Nvidia was founded.
His warm-up was assisted by Doosan pitcher Zack Rogue, an English-speaking foreign player.
Doosan club owner and Group Chairman Park Jung-won stepped into the batter's box wearing a uniform numbered 96, representing 1896, the year Doosan was founded.
After the pitch, Huang made his way to seats along the first-base line reserved for some 200 Nvidia employees. Before sitting down, he raised a cup of beer in a toast to the crowd.
He then spent considerable time on his feet, signing autographs and posing for photos with fans before he could take his seat.
The first-base table section had been arranged for Huang, his wife Lori Huang, and their eldest daughter Madison Huang, senior director of product marketing for Nvidia Omniverse and Robotics.
Huang arrived at the main gate of Jamsil Stadium at around 4:10 p.m. Saturday in a Hyundai Genesis G90 flagship sedan.
Fans cheered as he stepped out of the vehicle, and Chairman Park, who had come out to greet him, exchanged pleasantries with the Nvidia chief.
Asked at the main gate why he was paying attention to Doosan Group and whether any specific cooperation was planned, Huang said only, "I'll focus on the first pitch."
When asked whether he would throw a fastball or a changeup, he said with confidence: "I can do it."
The event came together after Huang's team conveyed to Doosan that he wanted to attend a Korean professional baseball game, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The two met before Huang took the mound. Park greeted him at the main entrance and escorted him to a reception room on the second floor, where they held talks.
The two sides discussed expanding cooperation in areas including physical AI, where the companies' AI interests intersect, sources said.
Shares of Doosan Robotics and Doosan have moved higher recently amid growing expectations that Huang's visit to South Korea would lead to deeper AI cooperation with Nvidia.
Doosan's electronics business group supplies Nvidia with high-end copper-clad laminate, a key material used in AI accelerators.
The two companies' cooperation is extending into physical AI. Madison Huang, Jensen Huang's eldest daughter and senior director of product marketing for Nvidia Omniverse and Robotics, visited the Doosan Robotics Innovation Center in April and discussed physical AI technology cooperation with Doosan Robotics CEO Kim Min-pyo.
Chairman Park, who also serves as owner of the Doosan Bears, batted in a uniform bearing the number 96, representing the year Doosan Group was founded.
gil@heraldcorp.com
