Nvidia is in preliminary discussions with South Korean AI chip designer Rebellions regarding a potential deal that could range from a technical partnership to an outright acquisition, according to Bloomberg. These talks come shortly after Rebellions’ Chief Financial Officer announced the company’s preparations for an initial public offering (IPO) on South Korea’s main stock exchange.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met with Rebellions co-founder and CEO Sunghyun Park at Nvidia’s headquarters in Santa Clara this week. Discussions have covered various options, including a technical partnership, equity investment, and a potential acquisition. However, the negotiations remain in the early stages and may not culminate in a final agreement.
Founded in 2020, Rebellions specializes in designing neural processing units aimed at data centers that handle AI inference workloads, which involve executing trained AI models against real-world data at scale. The company has attracted approximately $850 million in investments from notable backers such as SK Hynix, Samsung Ventures, and Arm Holdings, with its latest funding round valuing it at around $2.3 billion. Additionally, the South Korean government possesses a financial stake in Rebellions.
The timing of these discussions is significant. On August 19, Rebellions CFO Sungkyue Shin indicated that the company is actively preparing for an IPO, targeting a listing on South Korea’s main stock exchange as a top priority. In March, Bloomberg reported that Rebellions had appointed JPMorgan Chase as the global lead underwriter for its offering, with plans to go public in late 2026 or early 2027.
A deal with Nvidia would align with the chipmaker’s recent strategy of acquiring talent and technology related to AI inference. In late 2025, Nvidia struck a deal with AI chip company Groq, securing a nonexclusive technology license and absorbing the majority of Groq’s engineering team while Groq retained its cloud business.
Any potential transaction would face scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice, given Nvidia’s dominant position in the AI chip market. South Korean regulators would also closely examine the deal, especially considering the government’s financial involvement with Rebellions and the strategic importance of the semiconductor industry to national interests.
Neither Nvidia nor Rebellions has publicly commented on the ongoing discussions. Nvidia is scheduled to report its earnings on August 26.
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