Samsung, SK join Altman’s Stargate AI chip project

Korean chip giants pledge memory supply, AI data centers as Seoul pushes to cement ‘AI G3’ status

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong (left) shakes hands with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during the signing ceremony of a Letter of Intent for cooperation to build core global AI infrastructure, held at Samsung’s Seocho office on Wednesday. (Samsung Electronics)

Chiefs of South Korea’s top conglomerates Samsung Group and SK Group on Wednesday separately signed strategic agreements with ChatGPT creator OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, during his high-profile visit to Seoul, underscoring Korea’s growing role in the global race to build next-generation artificial intelligence infrastructure and strengthen memory supply chains.

The trip marked Altman’s first visit to Korea in eight months and came amid intensifying international competition to secure AI-related technological and industrial leadership. The deals highlight synergies between Korea’s semiconductor and data center expertise and OpenAI’s ambitious expansion road map.

According to Samsung, the group signed a letter of intent with OpenAI to cooperate on building core global AI infrastructure. The signing ceremony took place at Samsung Electronics’ Seocho-gu office in southern Seoul, attended by senior executives including Samsung Electronics Vice Chair and Co-CEO Jun Young-hyun, Samsung Heavy Industries CEO Choi Sung-an, Samsung C&T CEO Oh Se-chul and Samsung SDS CEO Lee Jun-hee.

Samsung Electronics pledged a stable supply of high-performance, low-power memory for OpenAI’s “Stargate Project,” a large-scale initiative to develop advanced AI supercomputing and data center systems with global technology and investment partners.

Samsung said it is expected to play a critical role as a strategic partner by ensuring sufficient DRAM supply, with OpenAI’s requirements projected to reach up to 900,000 wafers of high-performance DRAM each month.

Samsung SDS, the group’s IT solutions unit, will partner with OpenAI on AI data center and enterprise AI service development, leveraging its advanced infrastructure capabilities for the design, construction and operation of Stargate facilities.

Samsung C&T, the trading and construction arm of the group, and Samsung Heavy Industries will also explore floating data center projects, offshore facilities that promise greater cooling efficiency, scalability and lower carbon emissions compared to onshore sites.

“Through this partnership with OpenAI, we aim to cement Korea’s status as one of the world’s top three AI powerhouses,” a Samsung Group official said.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won (right) poses for a photo with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman after signing a memory supply LOI and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation for a Southwest AI data center, held at the SK Group headquarters in Seoul on Wednesday. (SK Group)

Separately, SK Group announced that Chair Chey Tae-won and Altman met at the group’s headquarters in central Seoul to finalize a memory supply letter of intent and a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop an AI data center in Korea’s southwestern region.

“We are proud that SK is joining the Stargate Project as a core partner,” Chey said. “By mobilizing SK’s full-stack AI infrastructure capabilities — spanning memory semiconductors to data centers — we will accelerate AI innovation and bolster Korea’s national competitiveness in the AI era.”

SK hynix, the nation’s No. 2 chipmaker, will serve as a key supplier of high-bandwidth memory for the Stargate Project, with production targets also estimated at 900,000 wafers per month. The company will work closely with OpenAI to support its AI accelerator deployment, with details under discussion.

SK Telecom also signed a memorandum with OpenAI to establish a dedicated AI data center in Korea’s southwest, envisioned as a major regional hub for Asia and a cornerstone of sustainable, long-term cooperation.

The facility will align with SK’s existing AI data center in Ulsan, which aims to form a nationwide “AI belt” connecting the country’s eastern and western regions to promote balanced development and speed up AI adoption.

SK emphasized that its participation in Stargate would reinforce the Korea-US economic alliance in AI, symbolizing a complementary partnership that fuses Korea’s manufacturing and telecom expertise with America’s leadership in AI technology.

“This collaboration marks the start of a full-cycle innovation journey — from chip development to data center operations — that could reshape the global AI ecosystem,” an SK Group official said.

Chey and Altman have reportedly maintained a close working relationship since 2023, co-designing the future of AI infrastructure through ongoing dialogue.

Later in the day, Lee, Chey and Altman met with President Lee Jae Myung, signaling the government’s commitment to fostering public-private cooperation in AI.

Seoul has already pledged to launch a 150 trillion won ($107 billion) national growth fund aimed at positioning Korea among the global “AI G3” — alongside the US and China — by driving innovation and large-scale infrastructure development.