OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will visit Korea to meet with Samsung, SK

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during his visit to Korea on June 9, 2023. [YONHAP]

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is visiting Korea this week, where he will meet with chip powerhouses and startups to discuss plans to establish his own network for AI chip production and lessen his company's reliance on Nvidia.

“Altman is scheduled to have meetings with chip companies and AI startups in the latter half of the week in his very tight and brief itinerary in Korea,” a person with knowledge of the matter told the Korea JoongAng Daily.

The 38-year-old entrepreneur was also reported to meet with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won during the visit, although the conglomerate has not confirmed that claim.

SK Group is a leading player in AI chips, as its semiconductor affiliate, SK hynix, is the No. 1 manufacturer of high bandwidth memory (HBM), which is essential to AI processors. The company also has a close partnership with Nvidia and is its exclusive supplier of next-generation HBM3E chips. Sapeon, a neural processing unit (NPU) designer, is under its wing to address rising demand for AI accelerators.

Altman is also expected to meet Samsung Electronics executives, possibly to discuss partnerships in contract chip manufacturing. Kyung Kye-hyun, CEO of Samsung's chip business, will reportedly participate in the meeting.

Altman recently discussed such a collaboration with Taiwan's TSMC, the Financial Times reported.

The OpenAI CEO is vying to raise billions of dollars to establish a network of chip fabrication plants, as he believes that chip supply will fall short of demand when AI becomes more pervasive, according to recent Bloomberg and Financial Times reports.

Altman recently met with Abu Dhabi-based tech company G42, seeking an investment between $8 billion and $10 billion, the reports said. OpenAI is also in talks with Japanese investment firm SoftBank.

When Altman visited Korea last June, he showed willingness to invest in Korean AI startups and collaborate with chip giants like Samsung and SK, referring to them as “incredible assets.”

Altman pointed to the semiconductor business when President Yoon Suk Yeol asked him where Korea should focus in order to stay competitive in AI.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]