Korea-Korea joint project worth hundreds of trillions of won... China concerns about strengthening U.S. semiconductor export regulations
Investment in Southeast Asian data centers is also likely to decline... “It’s difficult to find a replacement”
(New York = Yonhap News) Correspondent Soo-jeong Lim = The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 13th (local time) that Asia has lost a key 'AI ambassador' who led artificial intelligence (AI) industry cooperation with the United States due to the fall of former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
As former CEO Hwang served as a bridge between the two sides, leading the AI investments of Asian governments and companies and urging the United States to ease regulations on semiconductor exports to China, it is analyzed that his resignation may increase uncertainty throughout the Asian AI industry.
According to the NYT, former CEO Hwang has exerted influence beyond that of a single company manager in various Asian countries, including Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Indonesia.
In Indonesia, he was called 'the leader of the AI revolution', and in Japan, he was praised as 'the next Steve Jobs' by Softbank Chairman Masayoshi Son. In Taiwan, his birthplace, he was nicknamed 'Dad'.
Former CEO Hwang preached the 'Sovereign AI' concept, which requires countries other than China to build their own AI supercomputers and data centers, and encouraged large-scale investments using NVIDIA semiconductors.
He also worked to secure a stable supply chain by building personal relationships with executives of major Asian semiconductor suppliers.
Korea was mentioned as a specific example.
Last year, former CEO Hwang began actively building relationships with executives at Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix when a shortage of high-speed memory required for AI semiconductors was expected.
The NYT reported that concerns are being raised about the future of the joint business with Nvidia, which is valued at about $510 billion (about 682 trillion won) in Korea.
In China, concerns are growing that former CEO Hwang's resignation may result in tightening of U.S. controls on semiconductor exports to China.
Former CEO Hwang has been urging the Trump administration to ease regulations, saying that strong semiconductor export controls would actually promote China's technological independence.
“China has lost an influential advocate for business cooperation within the U.S. technology industry,” said Po Zhao, a Chinese technology analyst.
However, some analyzes say that in the long term, this could be an opportunity to promote China's semiconductor independence.
Dan Ives, a Wall Street technology analyst, assessed that former CEO Hwang's resignation could be a 'dream scenario' for China in the long term.
There is also a possibility of a decline in AI data center investment in Southeast Asia.
Former Malaysian Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Ong Kian Ming predicted that former CEO Hwang's resignation could reduce demand for AI computing in existing and new data centers.
He predicted that Malaysia could be hit the hardest and that there could also be a ripple effect in Thailand and Indonesia.
In Japan, interest is also focused on the direction of the AI cooperation project led by former CEO Hwang.
Former CEO Hwang visited Japan last July and proposed the development of ‘physical AI’ utilizing strengths in the manufacturing and industrial robot fields.
About 40 major Japanese companies, including Sony Group, Softbank, NEC, and Honda, participated in the technology cooperation group launched at the time.
In Taiwan, former CEO Hwang maintained close relationships with major semiconductor suppliers based on his friendship with Maurice Chang, founder of TSMC, the world's largest foundry (semiconductor consignment production) company.
The Singapore daily Business Times evaluated former CEO Hwang as "Nvidia's best salesman" and emphasized, "The person that Southeast Asia will find difficult to find in the future is another Nvidia CEO who will personally visit the region, sit face to face with the prime ministers of each country, and represent Southeast Asia's position in Washington."
