[Special Report on AI Summit] S. Korea & U.S. on Global AI Supply Chain

Daily AI News | Special Report, San Francisco, U.S.A.

Samsung, SK, NVIDIA, and OpenAI Are Building the Next AI Supply Chain: The Global Race for AI Leadership Is Moving Beyond Semiconductors to Entire Ecosystems

By Dr. Han Ko, Editor-in-Chief, Daily News | President & CEO, USAKO Group, San Francisco, California

Silicon Valley has once again emerged as the epicenter of the global artificial intelligence industry. On July 24 (local time), the San Francisco AI Summit brought together South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, leaders of Korea's largest corporations, and chief executives from the world's leading AI companies to discuss the future of next-generation AI collaboration.  

The summit featured an extraordinary lineup of global technology leaders, including Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, NAVER Chairman Hae-jin Lee, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and Broadcom CEO Hock Tan. Discussions centered on strengthening the global AI ecosystem and expanding cooperation across the semiconductor and AI supply chain.

GPUs, HBM, AI Models, and Data Centers Are Becoming One Integrated Value Chain

The artificial intelligence industry is rapidly evolving from a competition among individual technology companies into a global contest between interconnected national and industrial ecosystems. The recent Korea-U.S. AI discussions in San Francisco symbolized this transformation, as government leaders, Samsung Electronics, SK Group, NVIDIA, OpenAI, and other global AI innovators explored new opportunities to build next-generation AI infrastructure and strengthen supply chain cooperation.

The AI race is no longer simply about developing more powerful large language models. Instead, the future of AI is being shaped by an integrated value chain connecting AI semiconductors, advanced memory, hyperscale data centers, networking, power infrastructure, cooling technologies, software platforms, and the emerging field of Agentic AI.

A New Supply Chain for the AI Era

While the traditional semiconductor industry was organized around chip design, manufacturing, and packaging, the AI economy is creating a far more sophisticated supply chain.

NVIDIA's GPUs serve as the computational engine powering modern AI. High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM), supplied primarily by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, enables these GPUs to process massive volumes of data at extraordinary speeds. On top of this hardware foundation, companies such as OpenAI develop advanced AI models and intelligent applications.

These systems ultimately operate within hyperscale AI data centers that depend on high-speed networking, reliable power infrastructure, and advanced cooling technologies. As a result, competitive advantage in AI can no longer be achieved through a single company's innovation alone; it requires an entire ecosystem working in harmony.

Samsung and SK: Driving the Future of AI Memory

The rapid expansion of generative AI is fueling unprecedented demand for High-Bandwidth Memory.

Samsung Electronics continues to expand its AI semiconductor ecosystem through next-generation HBM products and advanced foundry technologies, while SK hynix is strengthening partnerships with leading AI companies by leveraging its leadership in HBM innovation.

As AI models continue to grow in scale and complexity, both GPU performance and memory capacity have become equally critical. In this area, South Korean companies remain among the world's strongest competitors.

NVIDIA Evolves into an AI Platform Company

NVIDIA has evolved far beyond its origins as a GPU manufacturer.

The company now spans AI data center architecture, networking, AI operating software, digital twins, robotics, and Physical AI, positioning itself as a comprehensive AI platform provider.

CEO Jensen Huang has repeatedly emphasized that the future of artificial intelligence lies in tightly integrating hardware and software into a unified ecosystem. NVIDIA's strategy increasingly reflects this vision, extending beyond chip manufacturing to encompass the full AI infrastructure stack.

OpenAI Is Building the AI Services Ecosystem

OpenAI is accelerating its transformation from a developer of frontier language models into a provider of enterprise AI platforms capable of performing real-world tasks.

Through enterprise AI solutions and developer tools, AI is increasingly supporting document creation, software engineering, customer service, data analytics, and research assistance across industries.

Particularly noteworthy is the rapid advancement of Agentic AI, in which multiple AI agents collaborate to plan, reason, and execute complex tasks autonomously. This evolution is transforming AI from a conversational assistant into a trusted digital colleague for businesses.

Data Centers: The Heart of the AI Economy

The future growth of artificial intelligence is closely tied to the competitiveness of AI data centers.

Because AI workloads consume enormous amounts of electricity, efficient power management and advanced cooling technologies have become essential. Next-generation liquid cooling, improved energy efficiency, and sustainable power sources are increasingly viewed as key factors determining the economics and long-term sustainability of AI infrastructure.

In addition, optical communications, ultra-high-speed interconnects, power semiconductors, battery energy storage systems (ESS), and modern grid technologies have become indispensable components of the AI supply chain.

S. Korea's Next Competitive Advantage

South Korea has already established itself as a global leader in memory semiconductors and advanced manufacturing. However, manufacturing excellence alone will not be sufficient in the AI era.

To remain globally competitive, Korea must expand its capabilities into AI foundation models, cloud platforms, AI software, hyperscale data center operations, robotics, autonomous manufacturing, AI-powered biotechnology, and defense AI.

Agentic AI, in particular, has the potential to become a foundational platform connecting manufacturing, finance, healthcare, logistics, defense, and public administration. If Korea succeeds in leading the development of these AI platforms, it can evolve beyond being a semiconductor powerhouse into a global leader in AI-driven services.

Building an AI Ecosystem as a National Strategy

Artificial intelligence is no longer simply another industry. It has become a strategic national asset that intersects with national security, industrial competitiveness, energy policy, and digital infrastructure.

The countries that successfully integrate semiconductor manufacturers, AI platform companies, telecommunications providers, energy companies, data center operators, universities, and research institutions into a collaborative ecosystem will define the next generation of global competitiveness.

The recent Korea-U.S. AI discussions demonstrated South Korea's growing potential to become a key strategic partner within the rapidly evolving global AI supply chain.

Ultimately, the winners of the AI era may not be the nations with the single most powerful AI model, but those capable of building the world's most resilient, integrated, and innovative AI ecosystem.

South Korea already possesses world-class semiconductor technology and advanced manufacturing capabilities. By combining these strengths with AI platforms, hyperscale data centers, Agentic AI, and next-generation digital infrastructure, the nation is well positioned to become one of the central pillars of the global AI supply chain.