Speaking at the 2025 APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang described a “virtuous cycle” driving the AI industry.
Better models are attracting more users, generating higher profits, and drawing new investment in infrastructure, which then supports even more powerful models. This feedback loop, he said, is speeding a new era in computing that could reshape the global economy over the next decade.
That future is already taking shape in South Korea.
In one of the largest AI infrastructure projects to date, Nvidia is working with the Korean government and major companies including Samsung, Hyundai, SK Group, and NAVER Cloud to deploy more than 260,000 Nvidia GPUs.
These AI factories, national data centers, and model platforms are designed to establish Korea as a leading global center in AI.
Why It Matters: The Nvidia-Korea alliance is reshaping how nations and industries approach AI by treating it as essential infrastructure rather than a niche technology. Just as electricity grids and highways powered the industrial age, GPU-based AI factories now underpin the intelligence era. By embedding AI in its national strategy, South Korea is strengthening its technology base and global competitiveness.
- Jensen Huang says AI’s Growth Loop is Profitable and Accelerating: Nvidia’s CEO described the AI boom as a self-reinforcing cycle in which better models attract more users, driving profits that justify larger investments. Those investments improve infrastructure and make AI even more capable. Huang compared it to chip manufacturing, where profitability leads to more factories. With Big Tech spending over $300 billion on AI in 2025, the cycle is accelerating at industrial scale.
- Korea’s 260,000-GPU AI Buildout Leads Global Strategy: The Korean Ministry of Science and ICT is leading a national AI infrastructure plan with Nvidia and Korea’s tech powerhouses. More than 260,000 Nvidia GPUs will be installed across national AI data centers and specialized AI factories. Samsung, SK Group, Hyundai, and NAVER Cloud will each deploy over 50,000 GPUs to advance next-generation AI in chipmaking, mobility, manufacturing, and cloud services.
- AI Factories Are Replacing Traditional Industrial Plants: Samsung’s AI factory will use Nvidia’s Omniverse, CUDA-X, and cuLitho technologies to improve semiconductor manufacturing with digital twins. SK Group is developing Asia’s first industrial AI cloud for robotics and digital twin applications powered by RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell GPUs. Hyundai plans to integrate 50,000 Blackwell GPUs into its smart factory and autonomous driving systems.
- Every Layer of Computing Is Being Reengineered for AI: Huang emphasized that this AI-driven transformation goes beyond applications. GPUs are replacing CPUs across the computing stack, from hardware and energy systems to software and application layers. The trillion-dollar infrastructure built over the past 60 years is being rebuilt for an AI-first world.
- Sovereign Language Models, Quantum Research, and Startup Ecosystems Take Shape: Public-private partnerships are driving Korea’s sovereign LLM ecosystem. NAVER Cloud, LG AI Research, SK Telecom, NC AI, and Upstage are creating Korean-language foundation models for enterprise and public-sector use, while the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) is also working with Nvidia on quantum computing research. A new startup alliance backed by Nvidia Inception and Korean venture partners aims to advance next-generation AI companies.
Go Deeper -> Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says AI is in a ‘virtuous cycle.’ Here’s what he means – CNBC
Nvidia expands AI ties with Hyundai, Samsung, SK, Naver – TechCrunch
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