South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (C) and Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong (R) bow to each other as SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won (L) looks on after a briefing announcement of public-private collaboration projects at the presidential Blue House in Seoul on June 29, 2026. South Korea will invest nearly $1.2 trillion -- equivalent to more than two-thirds of its GDP -- in a new chip-building hub and AI data centres over several years, as it seeks to profit from soaring demand while developing previously neglected regions. (Photo by KIM Min-Hee / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)