Washington, July 26 (QNA) – The Republic of Korea and leading global tech firms, including Nvidia and OpenAI, have unveiled a roadmap to bolster the global AI ecosystem.

The roadmap outlines plans to establish a global AI infrastructure hub, jointly invest in hyperscale AI data centers and AI factories, and advance semiconductor cooperation projects with a combined value of USD 950 billion.

AI and semiconductor investments dominated the San Francisco meeting, which brought together the Republic of Korea’s largest conglomerates and leading global tech firms.

Republic of Korea’s senior presidential secretary for policy, Kim Yong-beom told a press briefing that the cooperation projects include a long-term agreement under which SK Group will supply USD 750 billion worth of high-performance semiconductors to global tech firms, including Nvidia.

He added that the Republic of Korea and global firms agreed during the meeting to jointly invest in hyperscale AI data centers with a combined capacity of 5 gigawatts and roughly 2 million graphics processing units (GPUs).

Naver, the Republic of Korea’s leading internet portal, will also establish USD 10 billion worth of global AI factories under a strategic investment agreement with Nvidia and a separate infrastructure supply deal with Canadian asset manager Brookfield.

During the meeting, Republic of Korea President Lee Jae Myung unveiled a vision to transform the country into a trusted manufacturing base and supply chain partner for AI semiconductors, pledging to position the nation as a major global player in the AI technology supply chain.

In a statement titled the “San Francisco AI Declaration”, Lee said the Republic of Korea will make a paradigm shift to become an indispensable nation in the global AI supply chain.

Building on the world’s leading competitiveness and manufacturing capabilities in memory chips, the country will become a trusted production base for AI semiconductors and a key partner across the AI supply chain, Lee added.

Lee also said the Republic of Korea will establish a global AI hub capable of reliably providing the core infrastructure required for the global AI ecosystem.

He added that the Republic of Korea will create a new market that enables shared global growth by becoming not only a leading supplier, but also a country that deploys AI more efficiently and at greater speed.

Last month, the Republic of Korea announced three mega projects valued at more than 4,000 trillion Won (USD 2.73 trillion), including a semiconductor manufacturing cluster, physical AI initiatives, and AI data centers. (QNA)