GYEONGJU, GYEONGBUK – Over 1,700 global business leaders, including Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, and Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), are set to descend upon Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, for the APEC CEO Summit from October 28 to 31. This gathering, hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), precedes the APEC Leaders' Meeting and stands as the Asia-Pacific region's largest private sector economic forum.

The summit will see approximately 1,700 attendees, including business and economic figures, as well as 16 heads of state or government from the 21 APEC member economies. KCCI Chairman Chey Tae-won will preside over the event.

Tech Titans to Delve into AI and Digital Transformation 

A significant contingent of high-profile figures from the tech industry, who are currently driving the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) landscape, are slated to participate. In addition to Huang and Garman, speakers will include Simon Khan, Vice President of Google Asia Pacific; Simon Milner, Vice President of Meta; and Microsoft Vice Presidents Anthony Cook and Ulrich Homann. Their discussions will focus on the future trajectory of AI and digital transformation.

Jensen Huang's presence in South Korea is highly anticipated, especially given his recent visits to other Asian nations like China, Japan, and Taiwan, which had not yet included a stop in Korea. During the APEC summit, Huang is expected to engage with key South Korean semiconductor and memory industry leaders, including Chairman Chey and Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong. The discussions are likely to center on the supply of High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and broader cooperation in the AI and memory sectors. Speculation also suggests the possibility of Huang visiting the semiconductor production lines of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Huang, Lee, and Chey previously held an informal discussion during the Korea-US Summit business roundtable in August.

Cross-Industry Participation and Global Agenda 

The summit will also bring together prominent leaders from finance, manufacturing, and energy sectors. Noteworthy attendees include Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup; Joaquin Duato, CEO of Johnson & Johnson; Daniel Pinto, Vice Chairman of JPMorgan Chase; Masayuki Omoto, CEO of Marubeni; Toshiaki Tokunaga, CEO of Hitachi; Li Fanrong, Chairman of Sinochem; and Zeng Yuqun, Chairman of CATL.

Furthermore, international organization leaders such as Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), will participate.

Focus on 'Bridge, Business, Beyond' 

Under the theme 'Bridge, Business, Beyond' (3B), the CEO Summit will feature 85 speakers across 20 sessions. The primary agenda items include regional economic integration, AI and digital transformation, sustainability, finance and investment, and bio and healthcare.

The official program will be supplemented by various side events, including the Future Tech Forum covering AI, defense, and shipbuilding, the K-Tech Innovation Showcase, and a K-Beauty experience center.

A joint analysis by the KCCI and Deloitte projects the APEC summit to have a substantial economic impact, estimated at approximately 7.4 trillion Korean won and the creation of 22,000 jobs.

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