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South Korea teams up with NVIDIA and major tech giants to build one of the world’s largest AI infrastructures powered by over 260,000 GPUs — driving innovation, jobs, and industrial transformation.
South Korea and NVIDIA: Powering the Next Era of AI Innovation
South Korea has announced a groundbreaking collaboration with NVIDIA to create a national AI infrastructure and ecosystem designed to drive technological innovation, boost industries, and generate thousands of new jobs. This initiative will make Korea one of the top three AI powerhouses in the world, as the government and leading industrial players invest heavily in sovereign and physical AI development.
Through this initiative, over 260,000 NVIDIA GPUs will be deployed across data centers, AI factories, and sovereign clouds to power next-generation research, advanced manufacturing, and large-scale AI model training.
Government-Led AI Expansion Across Korea
The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) is leading the national effort by deploying more than 50,000 NVIDIA GPUs across the National AI Computing Center and major cloud providers like NHN Cloud, Kakao Corp., and NAVER Cloud.
This expansion aims to provide research institutes, startups, and enterprises with the computing power they need to build new AI models and applications — strengthening Korea’s Sovereign AI strategy.
Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon highlighted that this investment will not only enhance Korea’s digital infrastructure but also reinforce its global leadership in manufacturing and innovation.
Korea’s Industrial Giants Building AI Factories
Some of Korea’s biggest corporations are creating their own AI factories to accelerate growth in manufacturing, mobility, and digital transformation.
| Company | AI Infrastructure Plan | Focus Area |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics | 50,000+ NVIDIA GPUs | Semiconductor AI, robotics, and digital twins |
| SK Group | 50,000+ NVIDIA GPUs | Industrial AI cloud and digital twin projects |
| Hyundai Motor Group | 50,000 Blackwell GPUs | Smart factories and autonomous driving |
| NAVER Cloud | 60,000+ NVIDIA GPUs | Sovereign AI and enterprise applications |
Each AI factory will use NVIDIA’s latest technologies such as CUDA-X™, Omniverse™, Nemotron™, and Blackwell GPUs to enhance research, design, and production efficiency across industries.
Advancing Sovereign AI and LLM Development
The partnership between NVIDIA, MSIT, and Korea’s leading companies — including LG AI Research, NAVER Cloud, SK Telecom, NC AI, and Upstage — is also focused on developing Korean foundation language models (LLMs).
These models will be trained using NVIDIA NeMo™ and Nemotron datasets, integrating Korean data to create locally adapted AI agents with advanced reasoning, language, and automation capabilities. This will help Korea foster sovereign AI applications tailored to its culture, industries, and citizens.
Quantum Computing and Scientific Research Collaboration
In addition to AI development, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) is partnering with NVIDIA to create a Center of Excellence for quantum computing and scientific research. Using Korea’s sixth-generation supercomputer HANGANG and NVIDIA’s CUDA-Q™ platform, the center will explore advanced research areas like quantum error correction and physics-informed AI models.
This collaboration places Korea at the forefront of quantum-GPU computing, opening new opportunities in science and technology.
Empowering Startups and Future Growth
To nurture the next generation of innovators, NVIDIA and Korean partners are forming a startup alliance through the NVIDIA Inception program. This initiative will provide startups access to accelerated computing infrastructure, venture support, and AI expertise.
By partnering with SK Telecom and investment groups like IMM Investment and Korea Investment Partners, the program aims to build a thriving ecosystem that supports local entrepreneurs and AI-driven companies.
Conclusion
The collaboration between NVIDIA, the South Korean government, and industry leaders marks a historic step in shaping the country’s digital future. With massive GPU-powered AI infrastructure and strong public-private partnerships, South Korea is positioning itself as a global leader in AI innovation, ready to transform industries, empower startups, and drive sustainable growth for decades to come.
