Report: AMD's Lisa Su to meet with Lee Jae-Yong next week, possibly securing Samsung HBM supply

AMD CEO Lisa Su plans to visit South Korea next week to meet with Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee, focusing on the supply cooperation of high bandwidth memory (HBM) required for AI chips, reflecting the fierce competition among tech giants to seize AI memory resources.

According to South Korea's Daily Economic News, citing industry insiders, Su is scheduled to visit South Korea on March 18 and plans to meet with key partners including Lee Jae-Yong and Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon, the largest internet search engine operator in South Korea. This is an important diplomatic move by AMD amid the escalating AI competition.

Su's visit to South Korea comes at a time when the demand for HBM, DRAM, and NAND storage chips is surging. Tech companies like AMD and NVIDIA are competing to procure these chips to support the ongoing expansion of data centers and AI systems. If AMD successfully secures HBM supply from Samsung, it will help it further compete with NVIDIA.

Samsung HBM Cooperation as a Core Topic

According to the Daily Economic News, one of the core topics of Su's visit is to negotiate with Samsung on the supply assurance of high bandwidth memory needed for AI chipsets.

HBM, as a key component driving high-performance AI computing, currently faces a tight supply-demand situation in the market, prompting leading chip companies to accelerate strategic partnerships with storage manufacturers.

The direct meeting between Su and Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-Yong highlights the high-level nature of this cooperation negotiation.

Discussing AI Collaboration with Naver CEO

In addition to Samsung, Su also plans to meet with Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon, with both parties expected to discuss broader areas of cooperation.

The Daily Economic News reports that the topics include expanding semiconductor supply for data centers, building sovereign AI infrastructure, and collaborating in next-generation computing technologies. Naver has confirmed that the meeting is scheduled but has not disclosed specific agendas.

It is noteworthy that Su's itinerary in South Korea coincides closely with the timing of NVIDIA's annual developer conference, GTC, which is set to take place from March 16 to 19 in San Jose, California.

Su's choice to visit South Korea at this juncture, rather than attending a competitor's flagship event, may be interpreted by the outside world as AMD's high emphasis on strategic supply chain planning