On Wednesday evening local time, Nvidia (NVDA.O) CEO Jensen Huang met with a group of Japanese suppliers supporting the global AI supply chain at an izakaya (Japanese pub) in Kanda, central Tokyo. Attendees included representatives from Kioxia Holdings, Shin-Etsu Chemical, Tokyo Electron, and Ajinomoto (the sole supplier of a thin-film material needed for advanced chip packaging).
Representatives from Sumitomo Electric Industries and Taiyo Yuden, an advanced capacitor manufacturer, also attended. This meeting highlighted the breadth of engineering, component, and hardware suppliers upon which Nvidia's next-generation AI systems rely. Nvidia requires support from Japan's vast industrial base for advanced memory, network equipment, packaging substrates, chemical materials, and manufacturing processes.
That evening, Huang, wearing a brand-new leather jacket given to him by his wife, interacted with company executives. He also chatted with a person outside the izakaya who hoped Nvidia would lower its product prices; the two eventually shook hands. (Image from the internet)
