Nvidia Co-Founder: South Korea's Memory Tech Drives Global AI Revolution
Nvidia co-founder Chris Malachowsky has praised South Korea's memory semiconductor technology, stating that without Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, there would be no AI revolution. Speaking at the 2026 US-Korea Conference in Orlando, Florida, Malachowsky emphasized the importance of speed in building AI infrastructure, comparing it to the development of power grids and the internet.
Malachowsky co-founded Nvidia with CEO Jensen Huang and designed the technical foundation of the GPU. He noted that the HBM leadership driven by Samsung and SK hynix has become the foundation of global AI supercomputing. Without South Korea's contributions, he believes there would be no Nvidia as we know it today.
The co-founder also forecasted that the center of gravity for AI innovation will shift from large research labs to industrial sites over the next decade. He predicted that explosive innovation will occur at the boundaries of disciplines when deeply specialized researchers encounter AI as a tool.