OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made an unannounced visit to South Korea over the weekend, meeting Samsung executives and reportedly holding talks with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won as the company builds on existing partnerships with the country's leading chipmakers.
Samsung said Saturday that Altman met with around 50 executives from its affiliates spanning electronics, finance and biotechnology in Yongin, south of Seoul. Discussions covered AI developments, potential business opportunities and the technology's impact on corporate decision-making and operations, according to the company.
Altman also met with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won over lunch Saturday, with senior executives from SK Hynix and SK Telecom in attendance, according to South Korean media reports. The two sides may have discussed cooperation on AI chips and data centers, including existing plans for high-bandwidth memory supplies and AI data center development, local media reported. Participants didn't provide details of the discussions, and SK Hynix told CNBC it was unable to confirm the reported meeting.
Altman visited South Korea in October 2025, when he met with President Lee Jae Myung, Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee and Chey Tae-won, and announced partnerships with Samsung and SK Group as part of OpenAI's Stargate initiative. That initiative aims to expand AI infrastructure globally, with South Korea playing a role through partnerships focused on advanced memory chip supplies and AI data center development. Under the agreements, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix outlined plans to ramp up production of advanced memory chips, while OpenAI and its South Korean partners agreed to explore developing AI data centers in the country.
OpenAI cited South Korea's ranking among global leaders in AI readiness and significant public-private funding to strengthen competitiveness as reasons for expanding its presence there. Altman's latest visit also follows a July meeting with Jay Y. Lee at OpenAI's headquarters in San Francisco, according to Samsung. Altman left South Korea on Saturday, local media reported.
Source: CNBC