Microsoft CEO to meet Korean business leaders in AI tour
Satya Nadella’s Seoul visit comes after AI partnership announcement with KT, LG Electronics
Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella is set to visit Korea for the first time in over two years, meeting with top executives from major domestic companies as part of his tour to expand artificial intelligence partnerships.
Nadella is scheduled to hold discussions with business leaders, including KT Corp. CEO Kim Young-shub, LG Electronics CEO Cho Joo-wan, HD Hyundai Executive Vice Chairman Chung Ki-sun, Amorepacific Chairman Suh Kyung-bae and Korea Development Bank Chairman Kang Seog-hoon, according to industry sources on Monday.
The visit underscores Microsoft’s commitment to deepening its collaboration with Korean enterprises, as AI technology evolves into a fundamental driver across various industries. Microsoft has been consistently reinforcing its partnerships with Korean companies in recent years.
In September, the US IT giant signed a strategic agreement with KT, pledging to invest a combined 2.4 trillion won ($1.65 billion) over five years in the development of AI models and cloud services tailored to the Korean market.
Beginning in the first quarter of this year, Microsoft and KT are co-managing the AI transformation strategic fund, in which KT has invested 13 billion won, while Microsoft contributes computing infrastructure, including GPUs. Through this initiative, KT expects to secure over 10,000 GPUs.
Microsoft also announced a strategic partnership with LG Electronics at CES 2025 in Las Vegas in January, focusing on AI advancement. Following the announcement, Nadella personally commented on LG Electronics CEO’s LinkedIn post, stating his excitement about shaping the future of AI together. Cho responded by expressing enthusiasm about the partnership’s immense potential.
Nadella’s visit marks his return to Korea after November 2022. He will deliver the opening keynote speech at the Microsoft AI Tour in Seoul on March 26, discussing how AI is transforming daily life and business operations worldwide, including in Korea.
Beyond Nadella, global IT leaders are increasingly turning their attention to Korea. Several high-profile tech executives have been making trips to the country in the first half of this year.
Following OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s visit last month — where he met with leading Korean business figures including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won — OpenAI and Kakao announced a collaboration to integrate OpenAI’s technology into Kakao’s new conversational AI service Kanana.
Additionally, Snowflake co-founders Benoit Dageville and Thierry Cruanes plan to visit Korea for the first time since the company’s founding in 2012, introducing new AI strategies aimed at the Korean market.
Sources say these high-profile visits underscore Korea’s growing appeal as a testbed for new technologies such as AI and cloud services, citing the nation’s rapid technology adoption and well-developed AI ecosystem, among other things.
“Despite its relatively small market size, Korea quickly adopts AI technologies and has a robust AI ecosystem. Many global firms see it as an ideal environment for testing and refining their AI solutions,” said an industry source, who asked for anonymity.
As global tech giants continue to enhance their partnerships with Korean companies, these collaborations are expected to drive innovation in AI and data analytics while contributing positively to the country’s economic landscape.
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