AMD's Lisa Su visits Korea, agrees AI chip cooperation with local firms
Version 3: Lisa Su arrived in Korea and the previously expected meetings took place: she met Second Vice Minister Ryu Je-myeong and Korean AI chip and infrastructure companies, announced an AMD AI research centre to be set up in Korea within the year with hundreds of hires, agreed with the ministry on heterogeneous CPU-GPU-NPU computing, and told reporters Samsung and SK Hynix are key HBM partners.
In short
AMD chair and CEO Lisa Su visited Korea on Oct. 7, about seven months after her March trip, meeting Second Vice Minister Ryu Je-myeong of the Science and ICT Ministry and a roundtable of Korean AI semiconductor and infrastructure companies. AMD plans to set up an AI research centre in Korea within the year and hire hundreds of researchers, and the two sides agreed to build heterogeneous computing infrastructure combining AMD CPUs and GPUs with Korean NPUs. Su also attended an “AMD Gamer Day” in Yongsan, where she told reporters that Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are key partners and that “semiconductors is a team sport.”
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AMD chair and CEO Lisa Su visited Korea on Oct. 7, about seven months after her March trip, meeting Korean AI chip companies and government officials in the morning and attending the company's “AMD Gamer Day” at Dragon City in Yongsan-gu, Seoul in the afternoon. ZDNet Korea reported she arrived on a private jet late on Oct. 6. AMD said the Gamer Day event began at 2 p.m., with Su and senior vice president Jack Huynh attending, and that Su would hold a media question-and-answer session. [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 38 , 41 ]
At the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul in Jongno-gu, Su met Ryu Je-myeong, second vice minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, and a roundtable was held with Korean AI semiconductor and infrastructure companies, the ministry said. The ministry said the meeting was a follow-up to a memorandum of understanding it signed with AMD in July and was intended to review cooperation tasks and seek new opportunities with Korean companies. [ 10 , 11 , 13 , 25 , 33 ]
AMD plans to establish an AI research centre in Korea within the year and hire hundreds of researchers, Su said. “I plan to hire hundreds of excellent people for the AI research centre we are setting up to grow Korea's AI ecosystem,” she said, according to Newsis, adding that AMD would not spare investment so that startups and many users could use AI easily. Electronic Times reported that the July MOU followed President Lee Jae-myung's AI summit in San Francisco, and that the ministry's roundtable had originally been scheduled for Oct. 8. [ 11 , 16 , 20 , 25 , 34 , 35 ]
The ministry and AMD agreed to build “heterogeneous computing infrastructure” combining AMD's CPUs and GPUs with Korean neural processing units and to develop it into a reference model that can be used in global markets; Newsis reported plans to expand this to a full-stack reference next year. Newsis listed 14 participating companies: Rebellions, FuriosaAI, HyperAccel, DeepX, Mobilint, MangoBoost, Panasia, Dnotitia, Moreh, Nota AI, Lablup, Fadu, Elice Group and Upstage, and said they discussed linking their technology to AMD's open ROCm software platform. Later Yonhap and ZDNet Korea reports said 13 companies took part. [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 20 , 25 , 33 ]
Su told reporters that Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are key partners and that “semiconductors is a team sport.” She said AMD's MI450 and Helios rack systems are HBM4-based and that both memory makers had supported their development and shipments, calling the HBM partnership one that spans several generations. She said she had met SK Hynix during the trip and would meet Samsung, and that AMD continues to look for opportunities with Samsung in areas including foundry, without giving specific contracts. Dong-A Ilbo reported she had said in Taiwan the previous day that AMD plans to increase 2027 supply substantially. [ 15 , 38 , 39 , 41 ]
Su's March visit was her first official trip to Korea in 12 years after taking office, ZDNet Korea reported; she met Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong at the Seungjiwon guesthouse and Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon at that time, among others. Asia Economy reported that Su held a private meeting with Ha Jung-woo, vice chair of the National AI Strategy Committee, at about 8:30 a.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel, and that she did not answer a reporter's question about progress in cooperation with the Korean government since March. AMD Korea had said before the trip it had nothing else it could disclose beyond the Gamer Day event. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 8 , 18 , 23 ]
Why it matters
The meetings connect a global AI chip supplier with Korean NPU startups, memory makers and government policy, and AMD's planned research centre and hiring point to a longer-term presence in the country. If the heterogeneous computing plan produces a reference model, it could shape how Korean AI chip firms reach overseas markets. The documents describe plans and discussions; specific contracts and follow-through are not yet confirmed.
Key facts
- AMD chair and CEO Lisa Su visited Korea on Oct. 7, about seven months after her March trip, and attended “AMD Gamer Day” at Dragon City in Yongsan-gu, Seoul [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 15 , 38 , 41 ]
- Su met Science and ICT Ministry Second Vice Minister Ryu Je-myeong at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul in Jongno-gu and a roundtable with Korean AI semiconductor and infrastructure companies was held [ 10 , 11 , 13 , 14 , 22 , 25 , 33 ]
- AMD plans to establish an AI research centre (centre of excellence) in Korea within the year and hire hundreds of researchers, Su said [ 11 , 16 , 20 , 25 , 34 , 35 , 38 ]
- AMD and the ministry agreed to build heterogeneous computing infrastructure combining AMD CPUs and GPUs with Korean NPUs and to develop it into a reference model usable in global markets [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 20 , 25 , 33 , 34 ]
- Su said Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are key partners and that “semiconductors is a team sport” [ 37 , 38 , 41 ]
- Su said AMD's MI450 and Helios rack systems are HBM4-based and that Samsung and SK Hynix supported their development and shipments, describing the HBM partnership as spanning multiple generations [ 38 , 39 , 41 ]
- The July memorandum of understanding between the ministry and AMD is being followed up, with cooperation to be widened to AI research and talent development [ 5 , 8 , 25 , 33 , 35 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Lisa Su visited Korea on Oct. 7, about seven months after her March trip [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 10 , 11 , 13 , 15 , 25 , 37 , 38 , 41 ]
- AMD held an “AMD Gamer Day” event at Dragon City in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on Oct. 7, with Su and senior vice president Jack Huynh attending [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 15 , 23 , 37 , 38 , 41 ]
- Su met Science and ICT Ministry Second Vice Minister Ryu Je-myeong in Seoul on Oct. 7 and a roundtable with Korean AI semiconductor and infrastructure companies was held [ 10 , 11 , 13 , 14 , 22 , 25 , 26 , 33 ]
- AMD plans to set up an AI research centre in Korea within the year and hire hundreds of research staff [ 11 , 16 , 20 , 25 , 34 , 35 , 38 ]
- AMD and the ministry agreed to build heterogeneous AI computing infrastructure combining AMD CPUs and GPUs with Korean NPUs and to develop it as a global reference model [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 20 , 25 , 33 , 34 ]
- Su said Samsung and SK Hynix are key partners and that the HBM partnership spans multiple generations [ 38 , 39 , 41 ]
Still unclear
- How many Korean companies took part in the roundtable Newsis, Yonhap, Chosun Ilbo, Kyunghyang Shinmun and ZDNet Korea listed 14 companies, while Yonhap's later report and ZDNet Korea's second report said 13
- Whether Su met Samsung Electronics executives during the trip Su told reporters she had met SK Hynix and would meet Samsung, but no report confirms a Samsung meeting took place
- Su's private meeting with Ha Jung-woo, vice chair of the National AI Strategy Committee Reported by Asia Economy as an exclusive, citing a meeting at about 8:30 a.m.; not confirmed by other outlets
- What form AMD's cooperation with MangoBoost will take Su said in Newsis that cooperation with MangoBoost was the first step, without giving details, and no other outlet reported specifics
- The exact start time of Su's press question-and-answer session at Dragon City AMD said 3:30 p.m. in Yonhap, Chosun Ilbo, Seoul Economic Daily and NoCut News, while ZDNet Korea reported the session ran from 3:20 p.m.
- Whether the ministry roundtable was originally planned for Oct. 8 Electronic Times reported it had originally been scheduled for the 8th before being held on Oct. 7
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Oct. 5: ZDNet Korea reports Su's Oct. 7 visit, the Gamer Day venue and guests, and AMD Korea's no-comment response [ 1 ]
- Oct. 5: Yonhap reports AMD's announcement of the 2 p.m. Gamer Day event and the planned 3:30 p.m. media Q&A [ 2 ]
- Oct. 5: NoCut News reports the July ministry MOU and possible roundtables with Korean NPU and AI companies [ 5 ]
- Oct. 6: Seoul Economic Daily reports the ministry is coordinating an AI accelerator startup roundtable and possible meetings [ 6 ]
- Oct. 7: Yonhap reports the visit as widening a Korean AI semiconductor alliance [ 9 ]
- Su holds a private meeting with Ha Jung-woo, vice chair of the National AI Strategy Committee, at the Four Seasons Hotel, according to Asia Economy [ 18 ]
- The Science and ICT Ministry says Ryu Je-myeong met Su and held a roundtable with Korean AI semiconductor and infrastructure companies [ 10 , 11 , 13 , 14 ]
- Yonhap reports Su saying she is betting on the Korean AI ecosystem and that AMD will hire hundreds of researchers [ 16 ]
- Newsis reports Su's remarks on the AI research centre, investment and cooperation with MangoBoost [ 20 ]
- AMD Gamer Day is scheduled to begin at Dragon City in Yongsan-gu, Seoul [ 2 , 5 , 23 ]
- Su's press question-and-answer session at Dragon City begins, per ZDNet Korea; AMD had said 3:30 p.m. [ 2 , 5 , 23 , 38 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reports Su's comments that Samsung and SK Hynix are key partners and that she has met SK Hynix and will meet Samsung [ 41 ]