Lee to Visit SF to Meet Tech Bosses, Unveil Major Samsung, SK Hynix Chip Deals
By Reuters | 24 Jul, 2026

During his San Francisco trip S. Korean President Lee Jae Myung is scheduled to meet US tech bosses, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

FILE PHOTO: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung delivers his speech during a public briefing on the development vision for advanced industry in South Korea's southwestern region, in Gwangju, South Korea, June 30, 2026. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo

South Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix will announce large supply deals with U.S. technology companies during President Lee Jae Myung's visit to San Francisco, a senior presidential official said.

Kim Yong-beom, the president's policy adviser, told reporters on Thursday that the companies would unveil long-term memory chip supply contracts with global technology partners.

"We expect a lot of very large and meaningful figures to be announced," Kim said.

"It is cementing the technology and economic partnership between South Korea and the United States," he said.

Kim said global technology companies would also announce "strategic investments" in artificial intelligence data centres, but did not provide details.

His comments came ahead of Lee's visit to San Francisco on Friday and Saturday en route to South America, where he will attend summits with regional leaders.

In San Francisco, Lee is scheduled to meet U.S. technology executives, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

He will also attend an AI summit with South Korean business leaders, including Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Hyundai Motor Executive Chair Euisun Chung.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee and Heejin KimEditing by Ed Davies )