A 'Kkanbu Alliance' of AI between leading companies from Korea and the United States was formed at a Korean chicken restaurant. Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, and Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, met on the 30th at a chicken restaurant in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, for a three-way 'chimaek' (chicken + beer) gathering. The meeting lasted for about three hours, including the NVIDIA event held nearby on the same day.

● Unprecedented Meeting of Corporate Leaders

The meeting was unprecedented. CEO Huang remarked, "Today is the best day of my life." The leaders of global companies, including NVIDIA, Samsung Electronics, and Hyundai-Kia Motors, with a combined market capitalization of approximately KRW 8,300 trillion, visited the 'Kkanbu Chicken' store near Samseong Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and enjoyed a public chimaek in front of hundreds of citizens.

CEO Huang entered the chicken restaurant with Chairman Chung around 7:20 PM after arriving in Korea. He wore his signature black leather jacket and a black T-shirt. Chairman Lee arrived about five minutes later and embraced CEO Huang. Chairman Lee and Chairman Chung also wore casual white T-shirts.

This gathering was arranged because CEO Huang wanted to experience Korea's chimaek culture. CEO Huang ordered fried chicken, spicy sea snails, and cheese sticks to share with Chairman Lee and Chairman Chung. They drank beer and also tried 'soju tower,' a device for mixing soju and beer, consuming several glasses. The three exchanged drinks in a 'love shot' style.

When CEO Huang exclaimed, "Dinner is Free," Chairman Chung replied, "I'll cover the second round." However, it is reported that Chairman Lee actually paid the bill. The total meal cost at the restaurant was approximately KRW 2.5 million.

● Kkanbu Alliance Continued into the Night

The informal demeanor of the global corporate leaders was broadcast live during the meeting. CEO Huang left his seat to distribute kimbap, banana milk, and chicken to citizens. During this time, Chairman Lee remarked, "It's been about ten years since I last had chimaek," to which Chairman Chung replied, "I eat it often."
CEO Huang gifted Chairman Lee and Chairman Chung a bottle of Japanese Hakushu 25-year whiskey worth approximately KRW 7 million and NVIDIA's 'DGX Spark' AI supercomputer. The gifts were signed with the message, "TO OUR PARTNERSHIP AND FUTURE OF THE WORLD!"

The choice of venue, 'Kkanbu,' which means close friend, was interpreted as a nod to the famous line "We are kkanbu" from the Netflix drama 'Squid Game.' CEO Huang stated, "I enjoy chimaek with friends, so Kkanbu is the perfect place." He repeatedly expressed, "So good. So Happy," at the chicken restaurant. Chairman Lee, leaving the restaurant, commented, "Happiness is nothing special. It's about enjoying good food and drinks with good people." The late-night chimaek gathering, lasting about an hour and twenty minutes until 8:40 PM, continued at the 'GeForce Gamer Festival' hosted by NVIDIA at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

At the Gamer Festival, CEO Huang stated, "AI will transform every industry and become the largest single industry in human history," adding, "The future of NVIDIA and AI is very bright." On the previous day, October 29 (local time), NVIDIA's stock closed at a record high of $207.04 on the New York Stock Exchange, surpassing a market capitalization of $5 trillion for the first time in history, exceeding the economic size (GDP) of Germany, the world's third-largest economy. CEO Huang expressed, "It is an honor to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion for the first time."


The three leaders also appeared together on the COEX Festival stage. CEO Huang introduced Chairman Lee and Chairman Chung like rock stars. Chairman Lee, responding to the audience chanting his name, joked, "Thank you. But why are there so many iPhones?" Chairman Chung predicted, "In the future, NVIDIA chips will be used in cars and robots." They distributed NVIDIA gift T-shirts to the audience gathered in front of the stage and parted ways around 10 PM.

● Prospects of NVIDIA-Korean Companies 'AI Alliance'

This meeting was arranged ahead of a large-scale AI semiconductor contract between NVIDIA and domestic companies on the 31st. CEO Huang is scheduled to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit as a special speaker in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, on the same day. An announcement regarding large-scale AI semiconductor collaboration between NVIDIA and domestic companies is expected to be made at the Gyeongju site.

According to industry sources, NVIDIA plans to form a large 'AI alliance' with the Korean government, Samsung Electronics, SK, Hyundai Motor, Naver, and others, supplying tens of thousands of the latest GPU Blackwell and other AI chips. The amount is expected to exceed KRW 10 trillion. CEO Huang stated, "I look forward to meeting President Lee Jae-myung of Korea on the 31st," adding, "As NVIDIA is preparing various things in Korea, we will share several projects with good news tomorrow," he told reporters.

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