NVIDIA AI Day Seoul Highlights: Boosting Korea’s Digital Landscape

NVIDIA recently hosted its AI Day event in Seoul, South Korea, attracting more than 1,000 attendees eager to explore the burgeoning field of sovereign AI. The event featured a variety of sessions, including discussions on agentic and physical AI, hands-on workshops, and a startup reception for NVIDIA Inception program members. These activities provided insights into the current and future landscape of AI in Korea, according to NVIDIA’s blog.

Event Highlights

The event opened with remarks from Andy Lee, Inception program manager at NVIDIA, who highlighted the Inception Grand Challenge in Korea. Five of the 100 Korean startups that applied advanced to the finals held during AI Day Seoul. The winning team was recognized by the Korean Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and all finalists received certificates from NVIDIA, underscoring the momentum within Korea’s AI startup ecosystem.

Attendees also had the opportunity to connect with NVIDIA experts. Useong Kim, a principal engineer at Samsung Electronics, praised the “Ask the NVIDIA Tech Experts” area for providing invaluable face-to-face interactions and immediate feedback on technological challenges.

Industry Impact

Korea’s AI ecosystem is rapidly expanding, with major conglomerates like Samsung, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group, and NAVER Cloud deeply integrating AI technologies. In the public sector, AI is streamlining processes such as document and policy management, improving efficiency and responsiveness for citizens.

Shilpa Kolhatkar, NVIDIA’s global head of AI nations, noted the acceleration of AI adoption across various industries, including gaming, music, and the K-pop sector, all contributing to strengthening Korea’s digital foundation.

Future Prospects

At the APEC Summit, it was announced that Korean developers will soon gain access to NVIDIA’s full stack of accelerated libraries and software development kits, powered by 260,000 GPUs. This infrastructure aims to propel Korea’s AI ecosystem into its next phase, fostering innovation across industries. Kyungwon Cho, director of the Korean Ministry of SMEs and Startups, emphasized that this development will help startups accelerate their technological advancements and compete on a global scale.

Looking ahead, NVIDIA AI Day is set to continue its global tour with an upcoming event in Sao Paulo, providing further opportunities for AI enthusiasts to engage with the latest technological innovations.

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