President Lee Jae-myung met with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang to discuss South Korea's artificial intelligence strategy [1].
The meeting highlights South Korea's ambition to secure a dominant position in the global AI landscape through state-led investment. By engaging the leaders of the world's most influential AI hardware and software companies, the administration seeks to validate its technical roadmap and attract continued industrial cooperation.
Central to the discussions were three national "mega-projects" designed to position the country as a global leader in AI [1]. These initiatives represent a coordinated effort to integrate government resources with private sector innovation. President Lee said the three mega-projects are truly a national decision [2].
Altman and Huang praised the scale and direction of the South Korean government's efforts. The industry leaders said that the development of AI is only at its beginning, suggesting a long-term growth trajectory for the technology [1].
Altman highlighted the importance of the country's current trajectory on the global stage. "Korean government’s effort in AI makes it one of the most important countries in the world," Altman said [2]. He said that he hopes other leaders follow the leadership and investment shown by the president [2].
The collaboration focuses on the intersection of high-performance computing and large-scale model deployment. With NVIDIA providing the essential infrastructure and OpenAI leading in generative capabilities, the partnership aligns with South Korea's goal of achieving AI sovereignty through localized development and strategic international ties [1].
“Korean government’s effort in AI makes it one of the most important countries in the world.”
This meeting signals South Korea's intent to transition from a consumer of AI technology to a primary architect of the global AI ecosystem. By securing public endorsements from the CEOs of NVIDIA and OpenAI, the administration is leveraging private-sector validation to drive domestic political support for its massive infrastructure investments and 'mega-projects.'
