SK Group chairman attends Korea Society gala in New York

Offers congratulatory toast to Nvidia CEO on Van Fleet Award

Says data centers are the new frontier of Korea-US cooperation

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang pose for a photo at Computex 2026 in Taipei, Taiwan, in June. [SK hynix]
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang pose for a photo at Computex 2026 in Taipei, Taiwan, in June. [SK hynix]

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won met with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and underscored the importance of technology and AI cooperation between South Korea and the United States, as well as the partnership between their two companies.

Chey attended the Korea Society's 2026 Annual Gala in New York on Monday (local time), where he delivered a congratulatory message and proposed a toast to Huang, this year's recipient of the Van Fleet Award.

The Van Fleet Award is presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of the Korea-US relationship. Huang was selected as this year's recipient in recognition of his leadership and innovative contributions to the AI and semiconductor industries.

Chey said Huang's AI leadership and collaboration with South Korea's semiconductor industry had strengthened Korea-US solidarity and partnership. Chey is also a second-generation Van Fleet Award recipient, following his late father, former SK Group Chairman Chey Jong-hyun.

In his toast, Chey described the Nvidia-SK relationship in simple terms. "The partnership between Nvidia and SK is very simple: Nvidia designs the brain, and SK makes the memory," he said. "When Nvidia thinks at lightning speed, SK makes sure those memories are never forgotten." He added: "And whenever Jensen forgets something, he knows exactly who to call."

Chey also drew a parallel between data centers and the new frontline of Korea-US cooperation in the AI era. "More than 70 years ago, General Van Fleet forged the Korea-US alliance on the battlefield. Today, Jensen Huang stands at that frontier," he said. "That frontier has moved from the battlefield to the data center, and the person leading this charge wears a black leather jacket instead of a uniform."

He then invoked a law named after Huang. "Jensen, have you heard of 'Jensen's Rule'?" he asked, before answering: "The more you buy, the more you save."

"I truly believe that, because you inspire all of us to think bigger," Chey said. "I sincerely thank him for helping us think larger, and I am truly glad to be your partner."

Raising his glass to the audience, Chey called out: "To Jensen Huang, his family, and the Korea-US alliance — may our partnership expand far faster than GPU demand. Cheers!"


keg@heraldcorp.com