A ‘chimaek’ summit: did a chicken dinner set the stage for Nvidia’s big AI push?

Three of the world’s most powerful technology billionaires made a surprise appearance at a popular Seoul fried chicken restaurant on Thursday, sharing beer and soju before creating a stir by paying the bill for every diner in the establishment.

The casual summit between Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong, and Hyundai Motor Group executive chair Chung Eui-sun offered a remarkable moment of public friendship ahead of the high-stakes APEC summit, where the global AI chip race is a central topic of discussion.

A night of ‘chimaek’ and public diplomacy

The trio, with a combined net worth of approximately $195 billion, chose Kkanbu Chicken for their get-together, a well-known spot famous for “chimaek”—the classic South Korean pairing of fried chicken and beer.

The name “Kkanbu” is also Korean slang for a very close friend or ally.

“I love fried chicken and beer with my friends, so Kkanbu is a perfect place, right?” Huang told passersby as he arrived.

According to national news agency Yonhap, the leaders enjoyed cheese balls, boneless chicken, and other fried items alongside Korean beer and soju.

In a gesture of camaraderie, they were seen linking arms to take a shot of beer, a local custom that solidifies friendship.

They later emerged to offer chicken and cheese sticks to the waiting crowd.

When asked about his favourites, Huang praised the food, saying:

The chicken wings was so good. Have you been here before? It’s incredible, right?

The evening culminated when Huang rang the “golden bell”—a gesture to pay for everyone’s meal, drawing cheers from the surprised patrons.

According to Yonhap, Samsung’s Lee ultimately paid the bill, while Hyundai’s Chung covered a second round.

The high-stakes backdrop to a casual dinner

The friendly dinner was set against a backdrop of intense geopolitical manoeuvring.

The APEC summit in Gyeongju features world leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, and a key point of contention is access to the cutting-edge AI chips that have propelled Nvidia to a market capitalisation of nearly $5 trillion.

The public display of partnership between the American chip giant and South Korea’s top industrial titans was a significant signal of alignment amid the ongoing tech rivalry between the US and China.

The goodwill from the dinner quickly translated into concrete business.

On Friday at the APEC summit, Huang met with South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung and announced a massive new commitment to the country’s technology sector.

As per media reports, Nvidia will provide more than 260,000 of its graphics processing units (GPUs) to South Korean companies, including those run by his new “drinking buddies”, Samsung and Hyundai.

According to the presidential office, Huang said Nvidia would work with them, as well as with local web giant Naver and chipmaker SK, to strengthen “physical AI” by developing technologies like AI-driven autonomous vehicles.

While no deals were signed over cheese sticks, the friendly vibe between the leaders of Nvidia, Samsung, and Hyundai during their ‘kkanbu’ night out was hard to miss. It makes you wonder whether the casual get-together was the real handshake that set the stage for the massive AI deal announced the next day.

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