Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su held a series of high-level meetings on March 19 local time, deepening ties with major South Korean technology firms and government officials as part of a broader push to expand the company’s role in the global artificial intelligence ecosystem.
The visit included engagements with Samsung Electronics, AI startup Upstage, and senior policymakers overseeing national AI strategy. The meetings followed a packed schedule a day earlier that featured a tour of Naver, a visit to Samsung’s semiconductor facility in Pyeongtaek, and a dinner with Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong.
Su met with Samsung’s mobile chief Roh Tae-moon at the company’s headquarters to discuss expanded cooperation across PCs, tablets, and network infrastructure. Samsung’s Galaxy AI PCs are expected to incorporate AMD processors, and the company recently agreed to supply solutions based on AMD CPUs to Canadian telecom provider Videotron.
Earlier in the day, Su held talks with Upstage CEO Kim Sung-hoon to advance collaboration following AMD’s participation in the startup’s Series B funding round, valued at approximately $45 million. The two sides discussed accelerating joint projects and expanding technical integration.
Under the partnership, Upstage plans to adopt AMD’s Instinct MI355 graphics processing units over the next year to enhance its large language model, Solar, and to develop advanced document-processing AI solutions. The company also intends to deploy AMD GPUs in support of a government-led initiative to build a domestic foundational AI model. Upstage has indicated that it may require at least 10,000 units of the latest GPUs to meet its development goals.
Following her corporate meetings, Su met with senior government officials, including the vice chair of the National AI Strategy Committee and the presidential secretary for AI and future planning, to discuss long-term cooperation. Officials outlined plans to position the country among the world’s top three AI powers, including the construction of a nationwide high-speed AI infrastructure network.
Su also held an unscheduled meeting with the science and technology minister, where discussions focused on strengthening supply chain coordination and fostering a more robust AI ecosystem. Both sides emphasized the importance of public-private collaboration to enable domestic firms to leverage AMD’s open AI platform.
The visit underscores AMD’s growing engagement with South Korea as competition intensifies in the global race to secure AI computing power and infrastructure.
