Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivers remarks subsequent to U.S. President Donald Trump at an ‘Investing in America’ occasion in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 2025.
Leah Millis | Reuters
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is headed to South Korea, one of many firm’s most necessary markets, forward of assembly there between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese language counterpart Xi Jinping.
For Huang, it is anticipated to be a visit that mixes enterprise and politics with a gathering with Trump on the playing cards in addition to execs from South Korea’s largest companies corresponding to Samsung and SK Group.
Market watchers will even be looking for clues as to Nvidia’s future in China.
This is what would possibly occur this week with Nvidia.
Nvidia’s key suppliers
South Korea is dwelling to one among Nvidia’s most necessary suppliers: SK Hynix. The corporate develops so-called high-bandwith reminiscence, or HBM, a particular kind of semiconductor that goes into Nvidia’s high-end AI methods.
Among the many execs that Huang is predicted to satisfy is SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Yonhap reported. SK Group is SK Hynix’s mum or dad firm.
The assembly might be an opportunity to debate future HBM improvement. Rival Samsung additionally develops HBM however its product has not been licensed by Nvidia to be used. A dialogue in regards to the progress on Samsung’s HBM might be on the playing cards as Huang mentioned Tuesday he would meet with the corporate.
Infrastructure and enterprise offers
Huang has been on a world tour this yr visiting nations within the Center East, Europe and Asia. Most of the time, Nvidia has introduced infrastructure offers throughout these journeys, outlining how the tech big will provide its coveted graphics processing unit-based merchandise to knowledge heart initiatives.
On the sidelines of the Nvidia builders’ convention held in Washington on Tuesday, Huang mentioned his firm is partnering with with Samsung and autoamker Hyundai “in some ways” together with investing in “AI factories” — a time period used to explain knowledge facilities.
SK Telecom, one other subsidiary of SK Group, is at present constructing knowledge facilities in South Korea. Nvidia is planning to produce its chips to SK Group, Bloomberg reported, citing individuals conversant in the matter.
Different areas the place Nvidia could announce plans might be driverless automobiles and robotics, a significant space of focus for South Korea’s tech trade.
Trump assembly and China
And for Huang, it is not nearly enterprise. Geopolitics shall be an enormous focus as Huang’s journey coincides with a deliberate assembly between Trump and Xi in South Korea.
Trump known as Huang “an unbelievable man” throughout a speech on the APEC Summit in South Korea. Individually, Trump mentioned he’ll meet with the CEO on Wednesday.
This week might be essential for offering insights on Nvidia’s future in China. The tech big was beforehand banned from exporting its AI chips to China till earlier this yr when the Trump administration ended the restrictions. Whereas Nvidia is permitted to export its downgraded H20 chip to China, Beijing has reportedly pushed native firms to not buy it. As a substitute, China is pushing its native companies to purchase home Nvidia alternate options.
Trump on Wednesday signaled that Nvidia’s Blackwell AI processors might be up for dialogue with Xi.The Blackwell chip is Nvidia’s most superior product and isn’t at present allowed to be exported to China.
“Trump needs to do enterprise with China and he considers virtually every part is enterprise together with Nvidia,” George Chen, associate and co-chair of the digital follow at The Asia Group, advised CNBC on Wednesday.
“We might even see China needs some type of assure that the U.S. won’t add location trackers into U.S. chips to be bought to China … The U.S. may have its personal calls for in return, therefore Nvidia now turns into one of many bargains for the 2 presidents in Korea.”
Chinese language regulators in July raised considerations in regards to the safety of Nvidia chips in July. The world’s second-largest financial system is a profitable marketplace for Nvidia and being shut out has already price the tech big billions of {dollars} in misplaced gross sales. Any opening up of the China market shall be optimistic for the chip maker.
