SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won congratulated Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang on receiving the Van Fleet Award at an annual gala hosted by The Korea Society in New York, highlighting the growing partnership between South Korea and the United States in artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies.
Chey attended The Korea Society’s 2026 Annual Gala in New York on Sept. 28 (local time), where Huang was honored with the Van Fleet Award. Chey delivered a celebratory toast recognizing Huang’s leadership in AI and the partnership between Nvidia and SK in the AI semiconductor industry.
The Van Fleet Award is presented by The Korea Society to individuals who have made significant contributions to strengthening Korea-U.S. relations. Chey is also a recipient of the award, following in the footsteps of his late father, Chey Jong-hyun, the former chairman of SK Group.
During his toast, Chey described the partnership between Nvidia and SK in simple terms.
“Nvidia designs the brain, and SK makes the memory,” Chey said. “When Nvidia thinks at lightning speed, SK makes sure that memory is never forgotten.”
He added humorously, “And whenever Jensen forgets something, he knows exactly who to call.”
Chey also highlighted Huang’s emphasis on speed, drawing a parallel with the Korean culture of “ppalli-ppalli,” or “hurry up.”
“Whenever I meet Jensen, his first question is always, ‘Can you make it faster?’” Chey said. “Like Korea’s ‘ppalli-ppalli’ spirit, it seems we share the same mindset.”
Chey connected the history of the Korea-U.S. alliance to the emerging cooperation between the two countries in AI and data centers.
“More than 70 years ago, General Van Fleet built the Korea-U.S. alliance on the battlefield,” Chey said. “Seventy years later, Jensen Huang stands on that front line.”
“But today, that front line is no longer the battlefield. It is the data center,” he added. “And the person leading this advance wears a black leather jacket instead of a military uniform.”
The remarks underscored how the Korea-U.S. partnership is expanding beyond traditional areas such as security and trade into AI, semiconductors and other advanced technologies.
Chey also referred to what he jokingly called “Jensen’s Rule”—“The more you buy, the more you save”—in a lighthearted reference to the massive investments being made in AI infrastructure.
“Yes, our accounting team is still trying to understand that,” Chey said. “But I truly believe in it, because Jensen inspires all of us to think bigger.”
He thanked Huang for inspiring people to “think on a grander scale” and said he was proud to be his partner.
Chey and Huang have developed a close business relationship through their companies’ collaboration in AI semiconductors. SK hynix, a key SK Group affiliate, supplies high-bandwidth memory (HBM) products used with Nvidia’s AI accelerators, making the two companies important partners in the rapidly expanding AI infrastructure ecosystem.
Chey concluded his remarks by asking attendees to raise their glasses to Huang, his family and the Korea-U.S. alliance.
“May our partnership expand much faster than the demand for GPUs,” he said.
