Korea Convenes Emergency GPU Supply Review After Nvidia CEO Exit

South Korea convened an emergency review of its AI industry at 2 p.m. on the 13th, one day after Nvidia announced that CEO Jensen Huang had resigned and that CFO Colette Kress would serve as interim CEO while the company searches for a permanent successor.

The National AI Strategy Committee called the meeting, chaired by standing Vice Chairman Ha Jung-woo, with officials from the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Trade and Industry in attendance. The agenda covered four items: the stability of domestic GPU supply and procurement plans, the viability of existing cooperation projects between Korean companies and Nvidia, shifts in the global AI chip supply chain, and joint government-private sector responses.

What is at stake for Korea's GPU commitments?

The government and major Korean companies agreed last year to bring in more than 260,000 GPUs from Nvidia and to cooperate on expanding AI infrastructure. At the meeting, the government examined whether those plans could proceed without disruption. Officials reviewed how the management change could affect GPU delivery schedules, technical support and future investment plans, and agreed to continue monitoring progress on each project.

The committee also reviewed cooperation projects that Nvidia and Korean companies are pursuing across four areas: AI infrastructure, semiconductors, manufacturing AI and physical AI. It assessed the potential impact on three megaprojects now under way.

How does Korea plan to reduce Nvidia reliance?

The government considered steps to cut its dependence on a single supplier. It will examine the potential use of a wider range of AI computing resources, including domestically developed neural processing units, and plans to strengthen the technological competitiveness of Korean AI chipmakers and the stability of the supply chain.

"This episode confirms that the nation's AI infrastructure must be built so that it is not shaken by one company's management variables," said Shin Jin-woo, who chairs the committee's technology innovation and infrastructure subcommittee. "We should continue our cooperation with Nvidia unchanged, but we must raise the utilization rates and operating capabilities of the GPUs we have secured and broaden our options for computing resources, including domestic AI chips."

What happens next?

The committee said it will strengthen information sharing among the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Korean semiconductor, AI infrastructure and AI service companies. It will also draw up support measures through consultation and coordination among the relevant ministries for difficulties that arise in carrying out the cooperation projects.

The review concluded with a commitment to continuous monitoring of each Nvidia-linked project, delivery schedule and support arrangement. Korea's message: keep the Nvidia partnership, but widen the options.