Key Points
- OpenAI is partnering with South Korean chipmakers Samsung and SK Hynix. The deal involves supplying memory chips for the massive U.S. “Stargate” AI project.
- OpenAI will also work with the companies to build two new “Stargate Korea” data centers.
- The partnership aims to secure the supply of chips needed for OpenAI’s growing AI infrastructure.
- The deal gives South Korean firms a key role in the world’s largest AI project.
OpenAI is teaming up with South Korean chip giants Samsung and SK Hynix to secure a massive supply of memory chips and build two new data centers in the country. The partnership, announced on Wednesday after a meeting between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and South Korea’s president, is part of the massive, $500 billion “Stargate” project aimed at keeping the U.S. at the forefront of the AI race.
Samsung and SK Hynix, which together control about 70% of the global memory chip market, will become key suppliers for OpenAI’s data centers. This move is designed to address one of the biggest bottlenecks in the AI boom: the availability of the specialized chips needed to power advanced AI models.
A top South Korean official stated that OpenAI is planning to order a staggering 900,000 semiconductor wafers, which could be worth over $70 billion.
But the partnership goes beyond just chips. OpenAI will also collaborate with the two companies to establish a “Stargate Korea,” which will include two new data centers. This will leverage South Korea’s ambition to become a major hub for AI in Asia. Altman said he was “very excited” about the project, highlighting that South Korea has an “industrial base like nowhere else in the world.”
The deal gives the South Korean chipmakers a crucial early foothold in what is set to be the world’s largest AI infrastructure project. For OpenAI, it’s a strategic move to secure its supply chain and expand its global footprint, tapping into one of the world’s most tech-savvy markets.
