OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met with approximately 50 senior Samsung executives at Samsung’s Resources Development Center in Yongin on Saturday, October 30. Samsung Korea confirmed the discussion focused on strengthening existing relationships, particularly referencing a letter of Intent signed in October 2022 to cooperate on global AI infrastructure, including supplying memory semiconductors for OpenAI’s Stargate project. Samsung stated that the executives and Altman discussed "the direction of AI technology development and its potential applications, as well as new markets and business opportunities that will emerge from it." Altman also reportedly met with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won over lunch on Saturday, with senior executives from SK Hynix and SK Telecom present.
Altman's visit builds on previous engagements, including a trip to South Korea in October 2025, where he met with President Lee Jae Myung, Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee, and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won to announce partnerships for the Stargate initiative. Under those agreements, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix outlined plans to increase advanced memory chip production, while OpenAI and its South Korean partners agreed to explore developing AI data centers in the nation.
Industry analysis indicates soaring demand for AI infrastructure, with AMD forecasting DRAM revenue will increase 177% in 2026 to approximately $416 billion. Trendforce estimates DRAM supply may fall 1% to 2% short of demand this year, with the imbalance expected to worsen in 2027, and Micron warned the shortage could persist into 2028.
High-bandwidth memory (HBM), a specialized DRAM form crucial for powerful computing systems, has become particularly important. Samsung and SK Hynix maintain a central role in the global supply chain, controlling about 63% of global DRAM revenues in the second quarter of 2026, and accounting for roughly 83% of global HBM revenue. This influence prompted AMD CEO Lisa Su to visit earlier this month to discuss securing additional HBM supplies from SAMSUNG, stating, "It is important to plan three to five years ahead with our partners."
Separately, Altman previously argued in an interview on the Chick Pink podcast that DRAM inside personal computers is often underused, suggesting data centers could utilize memory more intensively by sharing computer resources across AI workloads, an argument that drew criticism given OpenAI's reliance on centralized computing infrastructure.
