Sam Altman Visits South Korea to Negotiate AI Memory Chips and Infrastructure with Samsung and SK

According to CNBC, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made a surprise business trip when Sam Altman visited South Korea over the weekend to meet with senior executives of Samsung and SK Group¹. This move aims to reinforce existing cooperation agreements between OpenAI and the country's leading semiconductor conglomerates¹.

Photo: Sam Altman speaking at TED (cropped) – Steve Jurvetson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Meeting with about 50 senior Samsung executives

Samsung confirmed on Saturday that Mr. Altman held a working session with about 50 executives from member units in charge of electronics, finance, and biotechnology in Yongin city, south of the capital Seoul¹.

Photo: Samsung Electronics Store at Suzhou Center-20220709 – Shwangtianyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

According to a Samsung representative, discussions focused on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, potential business opportunities, and the impact of AI on corporate decision-making and operations¹. This visit follows a meeting in July 2026 between Mr. Altman and Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee at OpenAI's headquarters in San Francisco¹.

Discussions on semiconductor chips and the Stargate initiative with SK Group

Alongside Samsung, South Korean media reported that Mr. Altman also had lunch on Saturday with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, with the participation of senior leaders from SK Hynix and SK Telecom¹.

Photo: Meeting with Masayoshi Son and Sam Altman (February 3, 2025) – 首相官邸ホームページ / Office of the Prime Minister of Japan Official Website, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

According to local press agencies, the two sides may have discussed the possibility of cooperating in developing AI chips and data centers, including plans to supply high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips and build AI infrastructure¹. However, participating parties did not disclose the details of the discussions, and an SK Hynix representative responded to CNBC that they could not confirm this meeting¹.

This is not the first time Mr. Altman has directly worked with South Korean partners¹. In October 2025, the OpenAI CEO met with President Lee Jae Myung, Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee, and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won to announce cooperation agreements within the framework of the Stargate initiative¹.

OpenAI's Stargate initiative aims to expand AI infrastructure on a global scale¹. According to the signed agreements:

• Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix outlined a roadmap to boost production of advanced memory chip lines¹.
• OpenAI along with South Korean partners are promoting research on the possibility of building AI data centers right within the country¹.

OpenAI stated that the reason for boosting its presence in South Korea is thanks to the country's world-leading AI readiness capacity, along with significant public-private funding sources to strengthen technological competitive capacity¹. Mr. Altman left South Korea on Saturday itself¹.

Vizy's take

According to Vizy, the OpenAI head's continuous direct contacts with both Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix show that solving the memory chip supply chain issue is an existential priority. To realize the Stargate infrastructure initiative, OpenAI not only needs pure processing capacity but depends heavily on high-bandwidth memory chip output from South Korea's leading manufacturers.

For the technology ecosystem in Vietnam, Vizy believes that even though high-end semiconductor production and data center projects of the Stargate initiative have not directly expanded to the domestic market, the strong shift in the global AI value chain still creates indirect opportunities. The fact that corporations like Samsung are increasing resources for the AI sector can drive demand for expanding testing, packaging, or auxiliary component production processes in Southeast Asian production hubs, including Vietnam.

Sources

1. CNBC – Sam Altman makes surprise South Korea visit as OpenAI builds on chip partnerships (2026-11-02)

Compiled and analysed by Vizy from the sources above and reviewed by a Bống Media editor before publication. "Vizy's take" is the author's own opinion. For information only, not investment advice.