South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at the presidential office in Seoul on Oct. 1, 2025. (Yonhap)
Samsung and SK will join OpenAI as key strategic partners in its Stargate project, a quest to build an overarching AI infrastructure platform. The Korean companies are expected to expedite their high-bandwidth memory chip production more than twice the current amount to meet OpenAI’s requirements and will join the company’s efforts to develop and construct AI data centers.
As South Korean companies join OpenAI and its efforts to develop a global AI infrastructure, experts laud the move as one that lays the groundwork for developing strategic alliances between nations amid the worldwide competition for AI hegemony. President Lee Jae Myung has also stated that he will consider relaxing financial regulations to facilitate investment in the AI and semiconductor sectors.
Samsung Electronics Executive Chairperson Lee Jae-yong and SK Chairperson Chey Tae-won held separate meetings with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at Samsung’s headquarters in Seoul’s Seocho District and the SK Building in Jongno to sign letters of intent for this partnership on Wednesday.
During the afternoon of the same day, the three CEOs convened with the South Korean president at the Yongsan presidential office to discuss cooperation on the government’s initiative to usher in a new era of AI.
“The vast scale of this initiative begs us to consider relaxing regulations on the separation of industrial and financial capital when securing funding, as long as safeguards are in place to prevent possible harm that comes with monopolization,” Lee stated.
Altman said the ChatGPT maker was “excited” to work with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, calling them “wonderful partners.” OpenAI estimates that 900,000 DRAM wafers, a key component of the AI chips for this project, will be needed per month.
The Ministry of Science and ICT also signed a memorandum of understanding with OpenAI, pledging to join forces to foster balanced regional development in Korea’s AI ecosystem, ease the public sector’s transition into using AI, and foster AI talent. OpenAI will also aid South Korean companies in participating in global projects that it is developing with SoftBank and Oracle, such as the Stargate project.
Kim Yong-beom, the policy chief for the presidential office, commented during a briefing, “OpenAI sympathized deeply with the South Korean government’s policies for a balanced regional development, announcing plans to build large-scale data centers in South Jeolla Province and Pohang.”
SK will oversee the operation of the data center in South Jeolla Province, while Samsung will one in Pohang will be overseen by Samsung.
By Kwon Hyo-jung, staff reporter; Shin Hyeong-cheol, staff reporter
