Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Receives Van Fleet Award for Advancing Korea-US Technology Ties
The Korea Society honored Nvidia chief Jensen Huang for leadership in artificial intelligence and semiconductors that has strengthened economic cooperation between South Korea and the United States.
Nvidia founder and chief executive Jensen Huang has received the 2026 Van Fleet Award for his contribution to closer economic and technology ties between South Korea and the United States.
The Korea Society presented the award at its annual gala in New York, recognizing Huang’s leadership and contributions to artificial intelligence and the semiconductor industry. Those sectors have become increasingly important to the economic partnership between the two countries as demand grows for the computing infrastructure required to develop and operate advanced AI systems.
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won attended the event. Their presence underscored the commercial links connecting Nvidia with major Korean technology groups. South Korean companies occupy important positions across the semiconductor and AI supply chain, including memory chips, electronics, vehicles, internet services and data infrastructure.
The Korea Society said Huang’s partnerships with Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group and Naver have helped make South Korea an important participant in global AI infrastructure. The organization described the award as recognition of his ongoing role in building both bilateral cooperation and a shared technology future.
Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993. The company’s development of the graphics processing unit helped create a computing platform that later became central to the rapid expansion of AI. That rise has also increased the strategic importance of cooperation between Nvidia and Korean businesses with capabilities in chips and other parts of the technology ecosystem.
The Van Fleet Award is named after Gen. James A. Van Fleet, who commanded the U.S. Eighth Army during the Korean War. It is presented annually to people who have made notable contributions to relations between South Korea and the United States.
This year’s recognition highlights how corporate partnerships now complement the alliance’s longstanding diplomatic and security foundations. AI development depends on close coordination among chip designers, memory suppliers, manufacturers, cloud platforms and companies deploying the technology. Nvidia’s relationships with Korean groups bring several of those capabilities together across the two countries.
Previous recipients include former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, Korean War commander Gen. Paik Sun-yup, former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter. Huang’s selection places a business and technology leader among figures previously honored for public service and diplomacy, reflecting the growing role of AI and semiconductors in the bilateral relationship.