Why it matters. Nvidia's chips and the Korean-made memory inside them are the backbone of the global AI boom, so signals about supply shortages affect tech prices and AI rollouts worldwide.
Background. SK Group and Samsung are South Korean conglomerates (chaebol) that together dominate the world's high-bandwidth memory market essential to AI accelerators. 'You Quiz on the Block' is a hugely popular Korean TV talk show, and a foreign CEO's appearance signals how closely Korea ties its national identity to its semiconductor industry. Computex is Taiwan's flagship annual tech trade fair.
What to watch next. Watch Huang's early-June Seoul visit and meetings with Korean conglomerate heads for concrete robotics or chip-supply commitments.
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang said on June 2 in Taipei that demand for artificial-intelligence chips still exceeds what the industry can supply, while SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won pledged to double his company’s memory-chip output within five years to help close that gap. The two spoke on the sidelines of Computex, Taiwan’s largest annual technology trade show.
Demand still outruns supply
Speaking at a global media roundtable at the Grand Hi-Lai Hotel, Huang said Nvidia is “securing supply for very solid growth” but acknowledged that “there are still supply constraints.” The comment came a day after his Computex keynote, where he unveiled plans for an AI “superchip” designed for personal computers such as laptops and desktops. That move pushes Nvidia beyond the massive data centers built by big tech firms and into the consumer market — yet even with that expansion, Huang argued, the world is still short of chips.
Nvidia is the dominant designer of the processors that power generative AI, and its chips depend on advanced memory made largely in South Korea. Chey, who leads SK Group, one of Korea’s largest conglomerates and the parent of memory maker SK Hynix, stuck to his forecast that a memory shortage could persist through 2030. “The more AI expands, the more memory it needs,” he told reporters at the exhibition. “Within the next five years we will double our total memory production capacity” on a wafer basis, he added, vowing to “procure whatever is needed” for the necessary capital investment. SK Hynix is a key Nvidia supplier, and Chey said he hopes it stays that way.
A Korean memory showdown in Taiwan
The Taipei show also became a stage for rivalry between Korea’s two memory giants. Both Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are supplying sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (known as HBM4) for “Vera Rubin,” Nvidia’s next-generation AI chip package due in the second half of this year. HBM is the stacked, ultra-fast memory that AI accelerators rely on, and it has become one of the most contested products in the semiconductor industry.
In a clear bid to signal leadership, Samsung used Computex to publicly show, for the first time, a full-size mockup of eighth-generation HBM (HBM5) featuring new thermal-management technology — a part two generations ahead of what is currently in mass production.
Robotics interest and a Korea visit
Huang also signaled appetite for deeper ties with Korea beyond memory. At a dinner with Korean business leaders, he expressed interest in expanding cooperation in “physical AI,” including investment in robotics. “We are always considering investing in Korea,” he said. “I think robotics is very important to Korea, and I hope we can contribute to this field.”
Coverage by Hankyoreh’s business and entertainment desks highlighted different sides of his upcoming trip. Reports agree he is due in Seoul in early June to meet Chey and other executives, though they differ slightly on timing — one puts his visit on June 5, another says he arrives June 4 with meetings the following day. Among the planned events is a much-discussed casual gathering — dubbed a “samgyeopsal meeting,” after Korea’s popular grilled pork belly — potentially bringing together Chey, LG chairman Koo Kwang-mo, and Naver chairman Lee Hae-jin.
From dishwasher to a TV cameo
Huang will also tape an episode of “You Quiz on the Block,” a popular tvN talk-variety program hosted by comedian Yoo Jae-suk. CJ ENM, the media company behind the show, confirmed the appearance on June 2; it will air this month, with the exact date still unannounced. A CJ ENM executive, Nam Seung-yong, framed the booking around Huang’s life story — “from a boy washing dishes to the CEO of the world’s most valuable company” — and his foresight about the AI era. Huang, who built Nvidia from a graphics-chip maker into a pillar of the generative-AI economy, has repeatedly called Korea a key partner in the global AI ecosystem and has shown affection for Korean food culture, including “chimaek,” the local pairing of fried chicken and beer.
