South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor, in collaboration with the government, is in the final stages of discussions with NVIDIA to establish a major artificial intelligence technology center in the country, with the Saemangeum area emerging as the preferred site.

This research and development center would be a top-tier facility for NVIDIA, a category of high-specification base currently only located in a few regions such as Singapore and Taiwan. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding last October for the supply of GPU chips and the joint construction of an AI research center.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang is visiting South Korea this week and may finalize the location and construction timeline for the project. He is scheduled to meet with Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung and other industry executives on Friday.

The Saemangeum site is considered a frontrunner in the location competition, partly due to Hyundai's plans to invest approximately 9 trillion won in the area for hydrogen energy, AI data centers, and a robotics industrial complex.