South Korea is seeking stronger collaboration with top global technology companies to accelerate its ambitions in artificial intelligence and semiconductor industries. During his visit to San Francisco, President Lee Jae Myung engaged with CEOs of major tech firms including Nvidia, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Broadcom, urging them to enhance their roles in his country’s expanding AI projects.
At the meeting with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Lee highlighted South Korea’s recently unveiled investment strategy to establish a semiconductor production cluster alongside AI data centers. This development comes amid rising global demand for chips, positioning South Korea as a critical supplier in the worldwide semiconductor market. Huang acknowledged South Korea’s enthusiasm for AI and commended the country’s leadership, signaling optimism about increased partnership opportunities.
The president also met with OpenAI’s Sam Altman, expressing support for reshaping the country’s industrial base through AI innovation and disclosed his personal use of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Altman recognized South Korea as a key player in AI research and development and was encouraged to engage more deeply in the government’s plans.
Lee’s discussion with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei focused on exclusive support and investment to expand South Korea’s AI capabilities. Amodei praised the government’s prioritization of AI and noted plans for an upcoming memorandum of understanding with South Korea’s Ministry of Science to collaborate on AI security and cybersecurity initiatives. He emphasized Anthropic’s commitment to partnerships spanning data center development and technology cooperation.
In meetings with Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, Lee reiterated the need for American technology firms to aid in building a robust AI ecosystem domestically. The South Korean administration aims to leverage these strategic alliances to drive the country’s transition toward an AI-driven society and maintain a leading edge in advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
South Korea’s AI and semiconductor investment plans are part of a broader effort to seize emerging opportunities presented by the global AI boom and strengthen the national technology infrastructure through public-private collaboration. The president’s dialogue with these industry leaders underscores a concentrated push to transform South Korea’s economic landscape and establish it as a global innovation hub.