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Nvidia to Supply Over 260,000 Blackwell AI Chips to South Korea

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Nvidia, the U.S. semiconductor leader, announced it will deliver more than 260,000 of its latest Blackwell AI chips to South Korea’s government and major conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group, and Naver. The move solidifies South Korea’s position as an emerging artificial intelligence powerhouse in Asia.

The agreement follows a meeting between Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, and leading business figures on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju. While the deal’s value and delivery schedule were not disclosed, Huang highlighted that just as Korea has led in producing ships, cars, and semiconductors, it can now “export intelligence” to the world through AI.

South Korea’s government plans to use over 50,000 of the chips to enhance its AI infrastructure, while Samsung, SK Group, and Hyundai will each deploy up to 50,000 chips in smart factories and autonomous systems. Internet giant Naver will purchase 60,000 chips to boost its computing power for projects like the National AI Computing Center.

Amid ongoing U.S.-China trade tensions that have restricted Nvidia’s access to the Chinese AI chip market, the company is expanding its footprint in alternative markets such as South Korea. The partnership reinforces Nvidia’s role in driving global AI advancement, particularly in industries such as manufacturing, robotics, and autonomous driving.

Trump Suggests Allowing Scaled-Down Nvidia AI Chips Sales to China Amid Security Concerns

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U.S. President Donald Trump signaled on Monday that he may permit Nvidia to sell a reduced-performance version of its next-generation Blackwell AI chips in China, raising alarms in Washington about Beijing’s potential access to cutting-edge computing power.

Trump told reporters that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had discussed a “somewhat enhanced-in-a-negative-way Blackwell,” explaining it would carry 30–50% less computing power than the U.S. flagship model. “That will be an unenhanced version of the big one,” Trump said, suggesting the proposal remains under review.

The Trump administration also confirmed an unprecedented deal with Nvidia and AMD that requires them to give the U.S. government 15% of revenue from China chip sales. The move follows last month’s approval for Nvidia’s H20 chips, a lower-performance variant developed under Biden-era export restrictions, to resume shipping to China.

Security experts warn the policy could still advance Beijing’s AI capabilities. Saif Khan, a former White House tech security director, cautioned that China could buy enough scaled-down Blackwell chips to build frontier-level AI supercomputers, potentially leapfrogging U.S. progress.

Currently, the H20 is the most advanced chip allowed for Chinese markets, though Trump called it “obsolete,” noting Beijing already has access. Nvidia unveiled its flagship Blackwell chip in March, boasting performance up to 30 times faster than its predecessor.

While Nvidia has not confirmed a China-only Blackwell variant, Reuters reported in May that a lower-cost, scaled-down version was being prepared. China’s foreign ministry did not immediately comment.

Meanwhile, critics highlight Trump’s unusual interventions in corporate strategy, from demanding revenue-sharing to pressuring Intel’s CEO Lip-Bu Tan to resign over his ties to Chinese firms. The Commerce Department has begun issuing licenses for H20 exports, insisting national security remains safeguarded.

Nvidia and AMD both stated they will comply with U.S. rules, while China has accused Washington of using tech restrictions to “maliciously contain and suppress” its development.

AMD Unveils AI Server and Chips as OpenAI Joins Development Effort

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AMD CEO Lisa Su introduced a major new line of AI hardware on Thursday, unveiling both the MI350 and MI400 series of AI chips and announcing plans to release the company’s first AI server, called “Helios,” in 2026. The launch signals AMD’s most direct challenge yet to Nvidia’s dominance in the AI server and chip market.

The announcement was made at AMD’s “Advancing AI” developer conference in San Jose, California. The Helios servers will house 72 MI400 chips, designed to compete directly with Nvidia’s current NVL72 servers powered by its Blackwell processors. In a notable difference from Nvidia’s closed ecosystem, Su emphasized that many aspects of AMD’s server and networking standards would be openly available to the broader industry, including rivals like Intel.

“The future of AI is not going to be built by any one company or in a closed ecosystem. It’s going to be shaped by open collaboration across the industry,” Su stated.

Su was joined on stage by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who confirmed that OpenAI is already working with AMD on its MI450 chips to help optimize them for AI workloads. Altman remarked on OpenAI’s rapid infrastructure growth, calling the pace “crazy” and noting continued expansion with AMD’s hardware.

Executives from Meta Platforms, Elon Musk’s xAI, and Oracle also appeared during the event to showcase how their companies are adopting AMD’s processors. Additionally, Crusoe, a cloud provider specializing in AI, disclosed plans to purchase $400 million worth of AMD’s new chips.

Despite the announcement, AMD shares slipped 2.2%, with analysts suggesting the company still faces significant headwinds in dislodging Nvidia’s dominant market position. Summit Insights analyst Kinngai Chan noted that the newly announced products are unlikely to shift the competitive balance immediately.

AMD has aggressively expanded its AI capabilities over the past year, completing its acquisition of server manufacturer ZT Systems in March and making 25 strategic investments in AI-related startups. The company recently hired engineers from Untether AI and Lamini, further strengthening its chip design and software development teams.

However, AMD’s ROCm software stack continues to lag behind Nvidia’s highly entrenched CUDA platform, which many in the industry see as a major factor behind Nvidia’s dominance.

Nevertheless, AMD remains optimistic about its growth prospects, even as U.S. export controls tighten on AI chip sales to China. When reporting earnings in May, Su reiterated expectations for strong double-digit growth in AI chip sales despite these headwinds.