Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia
Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, will receive the 2026 Van Fleet Award, presented by The Korea Society. The award ceremony will take place at the organization’s annual gala on Sept. 28 in New York City.
The Korea Society, a nonprofit organization established to promote Korea-U.S. relations, has given the award annually since 1992 to individuals and organizations that help strengthen the bilateral ties. The award is named after the U.S. Army general who commanded the Eighth U.S. Army at the height of the Korean War.
According to the Korea Society, the award recognizes Huang’s visionary leadership and his contributions to the artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor industries, which have become central to the evolving U.S.-Korea economic partnership.
Huang founded Nvidia in 1993 and has led the company since its inception. In 1999, Nvidia invented the graphics processing unit, a breakthrough that transformed computer graphics and laid the groundwork for the modern AI era. Today, the company is a leader in accelerated computing and generative AI, technologies driving rapid change across global industries.
Huang has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering and has received numerous honors, including the Semiconductor Industry Association’s Robert Noyce Award and the IEEE Founders Medal.
Korea has been a key partner in Nvidia’s global innovation ecosystem, with early collaborations spanning game developers and major technology firms. More recently, the company has expanded cooperation with Korean industry leaders, including Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Naver and Hyundai Motor Group, particularly in areas such as AI infrastructure, memory technologies and advanced computing.
“The Korea Society is honored to recognize Jensen Huang with the distinguished Van Fleet Award for his visionary leadership and for Nvidia’s partnership with leading innovators SK Group, Samsung Electronics, Naver and Hyundai Motor Group,” said Abraham Kim, president and CEO of the Korea Society.
“Together, they are helping shape the future of the global technology landscape. Leaders across Korea and the United States take pride in this growing collaboration, which will drive the next era of technological transformation and strengthen cooperation that will benefit generations to come.”
Huang joins a distinguished group of Van Fleet Award recipients, including former U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush, as well as former President Kim Dae-jung. Corporate and institutional honorees have included LG, General Motors, Poongsan, the Korea International Trade Association and the Georgia Department of Economic Development, along with business leaders such as former Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee, Hyundai Motor Group Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and POSCO Holdings CEO Chang In-hwa. K-pop group BTS has also received the honor.
Source: Korea Times News
