SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won attended NVIDIA’s global technology conference “GTC 2026 (GPU Technology Conference 2026)” in San Jose, California, on March 16 (local time), signaling his commitment to further strengthening SK hynix’s partnerships within the global AI ecosystem. SK hynix said Chey’s first appearance at the world’s largest AI technology stage once again highlighted the company’s AI infrastructure and memory capabilities, as well as its global partnerships.
Chey joins Jensen Huang’s keynote
Chey attended NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote session at the event. The keynote covered a comprehensive range of breakthrough technologies across the AI industry, from GPU-based accelerated computing and AI factories to open-source AI models, agentic systems and physical AI. The session set out the expansion of the AI ecosystem—introduced as a five-layer “AI stack” of energy, chips, infrastructure, models and applications—and pointed to the industry’s future direction. It also drew attention with detailed specifications of the “Vera Rubin” AI accelerator, which is scheduled to enter mass production in this year, along with an initial look at its next-generation successor “Feynman.” Chey listened closely to Huang’s address, directly tracking the evolving technology roadmap and ecosystem changes unfolding at the forefront of the AI market.
Chey’s activities at the event are seen as reflecting his intention not just to attend as a spectator, but to broaden HBM-centered collaboration with global big tech companies as an “innovation partner” for the AI ecosystem.
Reuniting in Silicon Valley to extend HBM partnership
Chey’s appearance at GTC followed his “chimaek” meeting with Huang in Silicon Valley in February, marking another step in their ongoing partnership just a month later. At the earlier meeting, the two leaders are understood to have discussed a variety of AI semiconductor collaboration opportunities, including SK hynix’s sixth-generation HBM4 products. SK hynix said Chey’s visit to GTC was a natural extension of those talks, aimed at confirming and deepening the partnership on site.
The long-standing relationship between SK hynix and NVIDIA began well before the AI market fully emerged, with discussions on developing and supplying ultra-high-speed HBM to support high-performance GPU computing. SK hynix’s HBM4 is slated to be adopted in NVIDIA’s next-generation Rubin platform, and the two companies are leading the direction of next-generation AI infrastructure by respectively driving innovation in AI memory and GPUs.
Reviewing SK hynix’s latest AI memory at GTC
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang (center left) and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won (center right) visiting the SK Hynix exhibition booth
Chey toured SK hynix’s exhibition booth at GTC together with Huang to review the latest achievements in the company’s AI memory business. SK hynix showcased HBM4, which will be used in the next-generation AI accelerator Vera Rubin, and SOCAMM2, a new low-power DRAM module for servers, along with mockups of these products mounted on actual GPU modules. The company also displayed a live system featuring its HBM3E deployed on NVIDIA’s latest Grace Blackwell (GB300) GPU module. In addition, SK hynix drew strong interest with a wide range of solutions, including customized cHBM, high-capacity eSSD storage for data centers and LPDDR5X memory for on-device AI. Chey and Huang walked through the booth side by side, engaging in Q&A on the products, taking part in a signing event featuring messages symbolizing their continued cooperation. Huang left his comment saying “JENSEN ♡ SK HYNIX” on VERA RUBIN 200, the main collaborative exhibition product of the two companies.
Expanding ties across the global AI ecosystem
Throughout GTC, Chey explored the latest technological achievements of key players across the AI ecosystem while seeking opportunities to broaden SK hynix’s global partnerships. He visited NVIDIA’s booth to review its next-generation GPU lineup and roadmap, including the Blackwell family, Rubin and Rubin Ultra, as well as accelerator performance demonstrations and application areas such as autonomous driving and robotics. Chey also visited booths Foxconn’s Booth, which provides power and thermal solutions for AI factories, among other core partners in the AI infrastructure ecosystem.
“By engaging directly with key players in the global AI ecosystem, Chairman Chey is reinforcing SK hynix’s AI leadership,” an SK hynix spokesperson said. “His activities at GTC are expected to further solidify the company’s position in next-generation AI memory, including HBM4.”
