OpenAI's Altman Meets Samsung Executives in South Korea Over Memory Supply

Samsung Korea confirmed the meeting and said the talks focused on strengthening the existing relationship between the two companies, in particular a letter of intent on cooperation over global AI infrastructure. That agreement covers supplying memory semiconductors for OpenAI's Stargate project. Samsung said the executives and Altman discussed the direction of AI technology, its potential applications, and new markets and business opportunities expected to emerge from it.

The visit comes as spending on AI infrastructure drives up demand for memory chips, adding pressure to global DRAM supplies. According to Tom's Hardware, Samsung and SK hynix together accounted for about 83% of global high-bandwidth memory revenue in the second quarter of 2026, underlining South Korea's position in the hardware behind the AI buildout.

Altman's trip followed remarks he made on the Chick Pink podcast, where he argued that DRAM inside personal computers is often underused and suggested data centers could make more intensive use of memory by sharing resources across AI workloads. Tom's Hardware reported that the comments drew criticism given OpenAI's reliance on centralized computing infrastructure for services such as ChatGPT.

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