A16Z, managing 150 trillion won, lands in Seoul… Global big players converge on East Asia for 'AI semiconductor belt'
Date
Jun 26, 2026
Classification
- Startups
#
- Global
Author
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), the world's largest VC, has launched full-scale investments in East Asia by opening a Seoul office on June 15, following its Tokyo office. New Mountain Capital established a base in Seoul in April, and PGIM decided to invest up to 4.6 trillion won in data centers in Korea and Japan. As Korea, Japan, and Taiwan emerge as key hubs in the AI semiconductor supply chain, they have become new investment destinations for global capital.
With a16z, the world's largest venture capital firm with 150 trillion won in assets under management, opening an office in Seoul, global capital is rapidly flocking to East Asia, which dominates the AI semiconductor supply chain.
A16z Opens Seoul Branch Following Tokyo; New Mountain and PGIM Head to Korea
Following the opening of its first overseas office in Tokyo in early June, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) opened its Seoul office on June 15. a16z, which manages approximately $100 billion (about 150 trillion won), has designated Korea, Japan, and Taiwan as key U.S. allies and AI hubs, signaling large-scale investments. a16z is not the only entity to join this trend. New Mountain Capital, an alternative investment manager with over 90 trillion won in assets under management, also opened a Seoul office last April following its Tokyo location, and Prudential’s PGIM has decided to invest up to $3 billion (about 4.6 trillion won) in data center sectors in Japan and Korea.
Record-High AI Investment… East Asia Grabs 'Bottleneck Beyond GPUs'
Global capital betting on AI has grown to an all-time high. According to Samjong KPMG, global VC investment in AI reached $270.2 billion (approximately 415 trillion won) last year, an 80.6% increase from the previous year and marking a record high. The reason capital is shifting toward East Asia lies in the changing status of the supply chain. As AI evolves into the agentic stage, bottlenecks have spread beyond GPUs to the entire supply chain, including memory, substrates, and optical components; this is because South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan effectively dominate this core hardware value chain. Roles are clearly divided: South Korea focuses on Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix's HBM, Taiwan on TSMC's foundry, and Japan on materials and equipment through companies like Advantest and Tokyo Electron. Indeed, U.S.-based Kindred Ventures, Top Tier Capital, and semiconductor design firm Arm all participated in the Series C funding round of the domestic AI semiconductor startup Rebellion.
Capital staying for years is the real signal… long-term establishment is the variable
Experts advise paying attention to long-term investment flows to see the hidden value of AI companies. Jeong Jong-hwan, CEO of Redpoint Partners, pointed out that the flow of private and alternative investment funds establishing bases in Tokyo and Seoul and staying there for years is an indicator showing the true value of the Northeast Asian market.
The trend of global powerhouses establishing bases in East Asia is creating a favorable environment to boost the valuations of Korean AI and semiconductor startups. However, the key question is whether this will lead to long-term settlement rather than short-term investment, and the speed at which capital actually takes root in Korea is expected to determine the tangible impact on the ecosystem.
#A16z #GlobalVC #AIsemiconductor #EastAsiaInvestment #HBM
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