NVIDIA Corp. (NVIDIA (NVDA)) CEO Jensen Huang is spending four days in South Korea this week, and it's not just for the barbecue. According to a report from Counterpoint Research analyst Tom Kang, Huang's visit — which started June 5 — is all about shoring up the supply chain for the next wave of AI chips and planting flags in new markets like robotics and sovereign AI.

South Korea is becoming as important to NVIDIA's long-term plans as Taiwan, and this trip shows just how much the company is leaning into that relationship.

Securing the Memory Pipeline

The big ticket item on Huang's agenda is high-bandwidth memory, or HBM — the super-fast memory that's become the backbone of advanced AI infrastructure. Without enough HBM, even the best GPUs are just expensive paperweights.

Huang sat down separately with executives from SK Group and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Samsung (SSNLF)) as NVIDIA gears up for its next-generation AI platform, the Vera Rubin architecture. Counterpoint estimates that SK hynix controls about 57% of the global HBM market, while Samsung is angling for a bigger slice through future HBM4 supply deals.

The report highlights that HBM4 and HBM4E production, along with advanced packaging capacity, could become major bottlenecks as AI demand keeps climbing. NVIDIA wants priority access to future memory supply as it rolls out AI factories around the world. The trip also gives Huang a chance to check on Samsung's progress in qualifying its latest HBM products for NVIDIA systems.

Robotics: The Next AI Frontier

Huang isn't just thinking about chips. He's also pushing NVIDIA's vision for physical AI — robots and industrial automation that can interact with the real world.

His itinerary included meetings with leaders from Hyundai Motor Group (Hyundai (HYMLF)) and Doosan Group, both of which are pouring money into robotics and AI-powered manufacturing. "Robotics is going to be the next major sector here in Korea — this is a great opportunity for Korea to invest in AI," Huang told local media.

Counterpoint notes that South Korea's strengths in manufacturing, automotive production, and robotics make it a natural fit for NVIDIA's next wave of AI initiatives.

Sovereign AI: Building Local Demand

Huang also met with Naver Corp. (Naver (NHNCF)) Chairman Lee Hae-jin to talk about localized large language models and sovereign AI infrastructure — basically, AI systems built to meet local regulations and data security requirements.

Counterpoint says supporting domestic AI ecosystems could help NVIDIA generate extra demand from enterprises and governments that prefer local cloud providers over U.S. hyperscalers. It's a smart way to expand the market beyond the usual suspects.

AI Growth Is Spreading

Kang said the visit reflects NVIDIA's broader strategy of strengthening both the supply and demand sides of the AI market. While GPUs kicked off the AI spending spree, demand is now spreading to memory, storage, custom AI chips, and robotics. As hyperscalers develop their own AI processors, competition for HBM and advanced memory is only going to heat up.

For NVIDIA, keeping close ties with South Korea's memory suppliers and industrial partners could be critical to sustaining growth as AI moves beyond data centers and into the physical economy.

NVIDIA Price Action

NVIDIA shares were up 0.32% at $209.30 during premarket trading on Tuesday, according to market data.