Big Tech chiefs pledge AI investment, cooperation with Korea at San Francisco summit

Global Big Tech CEOs and the heads of South Korea's leading conglomerates gathered at the San Francisco AI Summit, held to coincide with President Lee Jae Myung's visit to San Francisco, to discuss ways to cooperate in the AI industry.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella each described Korea as a key AI partner and pledged to expand investment and cooperation, while South Korean business leaders outlined their commitment to building a global AI ecosystem.

Speaking at the summit on Friday (local time), President Lee said the event would announce "a large-scale AI investment initiative, long in the making, bringing together Korea's and the world's leading companies whose combined market capitalization exceeds 20,000 trillion won." He called on participants to "join Korea in boldly shaping the future of the AI era."

Huang, the first business leader to take the microphone, spoke warmly of Korea. "Nvidia and Korea's PC bang have grown together. I have maintained a friendship with Korea for 25 years," he said. "From the very beginning to now, Nvidia has been on this journey together with Korea" in the AI industry.

He then said Nvidia and SK Group would announce plans "to further expand our partnership to reach a scale of $500 billion."

Altman said Korea offered a window into the future of AI adoption. "If you want to imagine what will happen elsewhere, look at Korea — Korea has embraced AI rapidly," he said, adding that "Korea's three mega projects will help AI take its next leap."

Broadcom CEO Hock Tan expressed willingness to cooperate on Korea's sovereign AI initiative. "We will actively participate in developing Korea's frontier AI models, and we will sign a related MOU with Samsung Electronics," he said.

Nadella, joining by video, pledged sustained support. "We value our partnership with Korea very highly. Microsoft will continue to invest in building Korea's AI infrastructure for years to come," he said.

South Korean business leaders also took the floor. Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong said that "AI advancement is fundamentally transforming the way humanity works, thinks and lives."

Lee stressed the importance of Korea-US corporate cooperation, saying that "cross-border global cooperation is essential to building a complete ecosystem — from innovative AI models and cutting-edge semiconductors to data centers for stable services and a wealth of strategies."

Lee also recalled a passage from President Lee's autobiography, in which the president described being filled with wonder as a child when he touched a helicopter that had landed on his elementary school playground. "Samsung will make every effort so that the next generation can dream big," he said.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won drew laughter as he recounted a dinner of pizza and chicken he shared with Huang and others on Friday. "Every time I meet Jensen Huang, he says, 'I'm hungry — more chips,'" Chey said.

On the investment figures announced as part of the three mega projects, Chey acknowledged some skepticism. "Some may wonder whether the numbers are exaggerated, but while they may be unfamiliar, they are not far-fetched," he said.

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung called for support in building an open ecosystem for domestic AI and robotics technology development. "The results of cooperation with Big Tech must feed into the growth of Korea's physical AI industry," he said, adding that Hyundai plans to create an open ecosystem to advance AI and robotics technology in Korea.

Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin said Nvidia and Broadcom had decided to invest $10 billion in his company. "This will serve as a springboard for us to leap to a new stage," he said.