Chey Tae-won: ‘There will be no rival to NVIDIA within 2-3 years

"There will be no opponent for NVIDIA within two to three years. It won’t fall apart."

At the Jeju Forum of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry held at the Shilla Hotel in Jeju on Friday, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, who also serves as the chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, answered the question, ‘How long do you think NVIDIA, the No. 1 AI semiconductor company, will continue to win?’

"Semiconductor companies such as SK and NVIDIA make money by selling jeans and pickaxes for AI companies that dig for gold. Our basic strategy is to allow AI companies such as Naver to mine gold at low cost.” Chairman Chey said, comparing the AI industry to the 'gold rush' of the past.’ “The gold mining business called AI is a global war that is difficult for Korea to fight alone. To win, we need allies, and we need to find a capable partner, whether it is the United States or Japan, and prepare for various possibilities.”

Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon, speaking alongside Chairman Chey, emphasized Sovereign AI (AI sovereignty). “Just as the desired results are different when looking for a good restaurant in Jeju Island, I believe that country-specific AI that fits the historical and cultural context is necessary,” CEO Choi stated. “Naver has the experience and know-how of developing a national language-centered model to help many countries around the world secure sovereign AI.”


서귀포=박현익 기자 beepark@donga.com