Episode summary
Special Edition: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Investing in South Korea | Bloomberg Surveillance
Bloomberg Surveillance
· · 18 min · Hosts: Tom Keene, Paul Sweeney, Lisa Mateo, Michael Barr, Ed Ludlow · Guests: Jensen Huang
Summary
Jensen Huang said South Korea is entering “the golden ages” for its AI and semiconductor industries, framing Nvidia’s new partnerships there as part of a broader buildout of global AI infrastructure. He pointed to a more than $500 billion business relationship with SK Group, including memory purchases and sales of AI supercomputers, and said Nvidia is also investing $1 billion in Naver to support a Korean AI cloud expansion. He argued that Korea’s industrial base, semiconductor strength, and willingness to adopt AI make it a natural partner in the next phase of the market.
Huang also said Nvidia is constrained across the supply chain, especially in HBM, LPDDR, land, power, and construction, and that the industry may only be able to grow “much faster than that” if those bottlenecks are removed. He described future demand as coming not just from people using computers, but from AI agents and robots using them too, which is why he expects the semiconductor industry to become far larger over the next decade.
The discussion also turned to open versus closed AI models. Huang said open models matter for security, innovation, sovereignty, and startups, while closed models can still be useful and cheaper in some cases. He argued that the industry should avoid single points of failure and should support a diverse, distributed AI ecosystem rather than treating open and closed systems as mutually exclusive.
Key takeaways
- Huang said Nvidia’s partnership with SK Group will involve more than $500 billion of business, including memory purchases and AI supercomputer sales.
- He said Nvidia is investing $1 billion in Naver to help scale a Korean AI cloud to 200 megawatts and expand globally.
- Huang argued the semiconductor industry may need to become 10 times larger over the next decade as AI agents and robots join human users.
- He said Nvidia is constrained by HBM, LPDDR, land, power, and construction, limiting how quickly AI infrastructure can scale.
- Huang said open models are essential for security, innovation, and sovereignty, even though closed models can be cheaper for some use cases.
Notable quotes
“This is the golden ages for Korea. As you know, their semiconductor business is booming. their industrial business is booming”
“we're investing a billion dollars in neighbor to help. They're the they're the uh Korea's uh leading AI cloud”
“the semiconductor industry is probably going to have to be 10 times larger than it is today over the next decade or so”
“we're constrained in in HBM memories, uh LPDDR memories. We're constrained in just about every part of the supply chain”
“open models is essential for safety. Open models is essential for security, for cyber security. Open models are essential for innovation”
How the episode opens
So like a 100% of investors think that protection is important, but only about 70% of advisers are like talking to their clients about that. — Where do you think the disconnect is happening?
There's this huge differences that exist in terms of what advisers think they're talking about their clients, what clients are actually hearing. So there's a lot of noise about AI, but time's too tight for more promises. So let's talk about results.
At IBM, we work with our employees to integrate technology right into the systems they need. Now, a global workforce of 300,000 can use AI to fill their HR questions, resolving 94% of common questions, not noise. Proof of how we can help companies get smarter by putting AI where it actually pays off.
Deep in the work that moves the business. Let's create smarter business. IBM
Amazon Pharmacy presents painful thoughts. — Of course, I see my coworker in line at the pharmacy. Can he tell I'm picking up prescription hemorrhoid cream? I'm probably standing weird. Why is he smiling? He knows. He's going to call me hemorrhoid Lloyd tomorrow. I know it. I got to quit my job.
Next time, avoid awkward conversations and get fast, free delivery with Amazon Pharmacy. Healthcare just got less painful. Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio, news.
I'm Monica Ricks in the Bloomberg Newsroom in New York with a special conversation. Bloomberg tech host Ed Lello sat down with Nvidia CEO Jensen Hang to discuss the tech giant's latest investments in South Korea, which includes teaming up with SK Group to build new data centers and investing a billion dollars in internet and cloud service provider Naver. Let's listen into a portion of their conversation coming not long after the NVIDIA CEO appeared at a Korean AI summit.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- ai data centers
- south korea investment
- nvidia strategy
- semiconductor demand
- ai infrastructure
Companies and tickers mentioned
- NVDA
- Nvidia
- SK Group
Watch the episode
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
More from Bloomberg Surveillance
-
Stocks Rise as Inflation Data Ease Fed-Hike Worry | Bloomberg Surveillance -
Bloomberg Surveillance TV: November 13th, 2026 | Bloomberg Surveillance -
Bloomberg Surveillance TV: November 12th, 2026 | Bloomberg Surveillance -
Jensen Huang Ousted by Nvidia Board as CEO | Bloomberg Surveillance -
Bloomberg Surveillance TV: November 11th, 2026 | Bloomberg Surveillance -
AI Stocks Rebound as Fed Hike Bets Return | Bloomberg Surveillance
Bloomberg Surveillance, this episode and its artwork belong to Bloomberg. Octagon is not affiliated with the show; this page is an independent summary.
