NVIDIA just scored one of the largest government AI deals ever announced. South Korea is deploying over 250,000 NVIDIA GPUs across sovereign clouds and AI factories, positioning the nation as Asia's next AI superpower. The multi-billion dollar infrastructure blitz involves Samsung, Hyundai, SK Group, and government agencies racing to build what CEO Jensen Huang calls "intelligence as a new export."
NVIDIA just turned South Korea into ground zero for the global AI arms race. The chip giant announced during the APEC Summit that it's partnering with the Korean government and industrial titans to deploy over 250,000 GPUs across the nation's sovereign AI infrastructure - one of the largest government technology deals ever disclosed.
The scale is staggering. Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT is starting with 50,000 of the latest NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs, beginning with 13,000 units deployed through NAVER Cloud, NHN Cloud, and Kakao Corp. But that's just the government piece.
Samsung is building a semiconductor AI factory with over 50,000 GPUs to revolutionize chip manufacturing and advance its home robotics portfolio. SK Group follows with another 50,000-GPU AI factory, plus Asia's first industrial AI cloud powered by NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell GPUs for physical AI and robotics.
Hyundai Motor Group matched that commitment with 50,000 Blackwell GPUs for manufacturing and autonomous driving AI. The automaker's partnership alone represents approximately $3 billion in investment, according to the joint announcement.
"Korea's leadership in technology and manufacturing positions it at the heart of the AI industrial revolution," Jensen Huang told assembled leaders at the APEC Summit. "Just as Korea's physical factories have inspired the world with sophisticated ships, cars, chips and electronics, the nation can now produce intelligence as a new export."
The timing isn't coincidental. As the U.S. and China battle for AI supremacy through export controls and massive investments, Korea is positioning itself as the swing player with domestic manufacturing muscle and strategic partnerships. Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon framed the investment as Korea's bid to become "one of the top three global AI powerhouses," according to .
