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Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, meets with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun at a Kkanbu Chicken restaurant near Samseong Station in Seoul on October 30. The informal “chicken and beer” meeting drew attention ahead of Nvidia’s expected announcement of major AI cooperation with Korean companies during the APEC CEO Summit. / Source: Asia Today, Park Singsan

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang held an informal dinner meeting with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun at a chicken restaurant near Samseong Station in Seoul on October 30, drawing intense attention from both industry and media circles. The meeting came just one day before Nvidia is set to announce its new collaboration plans with major Korean conglomerates during the APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju.

Industry officials said the gathering, described as a relaxed “chimaek” (chicken and beer) meeting, was proposed by Huang himself. The venue, Kkanbu Chicken, is known for its name — “Kkanbu,” meaning close friends or partners — a term popularized worldwide by the Netflix series Squid Game.

Since arriving in Korea on October 29, Huang has met a series of top corporate leaders to discuss joint strategies in AI semiconductors, autonomous driving, and smart manufacturing. Nvidia plans to unveil details of its partnerships with Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group, and Naver during the APEC CEO Summit’s special session.

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Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong shows a gift he received from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang during their dinner meeting with Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun at a chicken restaurant in Seoul’s Gangnam District on October 30. / Source: Asia Today, Park Sang-seon

Samsung, for its part, confirmed during its latest earnings report that it has begun supplying fifth-generation HBM3E chips to all customers — effectively signaling its return to Nvidia’s GPU supply chain after years of speculation. The company is accelerating the construction of AI semiconductor production lines and expanding mass production of next-generation memory products such as HBM3E and GDDR7.

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang toasts with guests during a casual dinner with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun at a Kkanbu Chicken restaurant near Samseong Station in Seoul on October 30. / Source: Asia Today, Park Sang-seon

Hyundai Motor Group is also deepening its cooperation with Nvidia, incorporating high-performance computing platforms into its autonomous driving, robotics, and smart factory projects. Chung’s attendance at the meeting suggested discussions on vehicle AI chips and mobility AI clusters.

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Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong holds up a gift from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang during their “chicken and beer” meeting with Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun at a restaurant in Seoul on October 30. / Source: Asia Today, Park Sang-seon

Industry observers see Huang’s visit and the “chimaek diplomacy” as laying the groundwork for a full-fledged AI value chain encompassing semiconductors, manufacturing, and automotive technologies — potentially benefiting Korean materials, equipment, and cloud infrastructure firms once formal agreements are signed.

Huang is scheduled to speak at the APEC CEO Summit special session in Gyeongju on October 31, where he is expected to announce Nvidia’s comprehensive cooperation vision with South Korean partners.