San francisco: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with the heads of four global tech giants, including Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang, on Friday and called for their greater participation in South Korea's artificial intelligence (AI) investment plans.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the meetings occurred on the first day of Lee's two-day trip to San Francisco, aimed at promoting AI investment and cooperation between global tech giants and South Korea. Lee also met separately with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic PBC CEO Dario Amodei, and Broadcom Inc. CEO Hock Tan.
During his meeting with Huang, the South Korean president praised the Nvidia CEO for being at the forefront of a "fundamental shift" in technology and introduced South Korea's recently announced large-scale investment plans to build a semiconductor production cluster and AI data centers. These plans aim to capitalize on the growing global demand for semiconductors amid the AI boom, solidifying South Korea's position as a major chip supply hub. Lee expressed hope that Huang would play a greater role in South Korea's investment drive, emphasizing the projects' potential to transform the country into an AI-driven society.
In a separate meeting with Altman, Lee reiterated his government's commitment to transforming South Korea's industrial structure around AI, noting his personal use of OpenAI's ChatGPT. He urged Altman to engage more deeply with South Korea's investment plans, while Altman acknowledged South Korea's significant role in AI development globally.
Lee's meeting with Amodei focused on South Korea's expansion of its AI sector. The president requested Anthropic's special attention, investment, and contributions, to which Amodei responded positively, highlighting the South Korean government's prioritization of AI. Amodei expressed expectations for a wide range of cooperation with South Korea, including data centers, and announced that Anthropic and South Korea's science ministry would sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in AI security and the cyber industry.
During his discussion with Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, President Lee again emphasized the need for the company's support in establishing an AI ecosystem in South Korea.