Meta's Zuckerberg discusses mixed reality devices, AI with LG leaders in South Korea (updated)

LG

28/02/2024 07:17

(Recasts with LG statement)
       SEOUL, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms  META.O  CEO
Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday met LG Electronics  066570.KS 
executives to discuss a stronger partnership in extended reality
(XR) devices as well as potential cooperation in artificial
intelligence (AI), LG said.
    Zuckerberg arrived in South Korea late on Tuesday and is
widely expected to hold talks on AI and meet with President Yoon
Suk Yeol and heads of the country's technology powerhouses.
    He held discussions with LG Electronics CEO William Cho and
parent company LG Corp  003550.KS  COO Kwon Bong-seok about
business strategy related to next-generation XR device
development, LG Electronics said in a statement.
        Cho also expressed interest in Meta's large language
model-based AI technology and discussed possible on-device AI
cooperation, his company said. Cho has previously said LG
Electronics is looking for opportunities in XR.
        Meta launched its latest mixed-reality headset, Quest 3,
in June before rival Apple  AAPL.O  ramped up competition this
month with its Vision Pro device. 
    It has also been intensifying AI efforts this year including
plans for a custom chip and adding AI functions to products.
    Zuckerberg is on his first known visit to South Korea in
about 10 years. It comes as part of a tour of Asian countries
that includes Japan and India, South Korean media reported.
    He was due to meet President Yoon as well as Samsung
Electronics  005930.KS  Chairman Jay Y. Lee, said a government
source with knowledge of the matter, declining to be identified
as they were not authorised to speak to media.
    Zuckerberg is widely expected to discuss AI chip supply and
expanding ecosystems for generative AI during his South Korea
visit, as Meta seeks to get generative AI technology into its
core social media products and hardware devices this year.
    Meta plans to deploy into its data centres this year a new
version of a custom chip aimed at supporting its AI push,
Reuters reported this month. It also plans to secure about
350,000 H100 graphics processing units from leading AI chipmaker
Nvidia  NVDA.O  by end-year to support the push.

 (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Sandra Maler and
Christopher Cushing)
 ((joyce.lee@tr.com;))