Samsung Electronics and SK today signed strategic agreements with OpenAI under its “Stargate” initiative. It is said to be a key step in expanding AI infrastructure globally and strengthening South Korea’s place in that ecosystem.
The agreements came after a high-profile meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul, attended by President Lee Jae-myung, Samsung Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee, SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
What the Partnerships Cover
- Memory chip scale-up: Samsung and SK hynix will increase production of advanced memory chips, especially DRAM, to support OpenAI’s infrastructure needs. The aim is for 900,000 DRAM wafers per month under an accelerated rollout plan.
- Data centers in Korea: OpenAI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Korea’s Ministry of Science & ICT (MSIT) to explore building AI data centers outside the Seoul area. This is meant to foster balanced regional growth and spread jobs beyond the capital.
- Industry partnerships: OpenAI also entered separate deals with SK Telecom, Samsung C&T, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Samsung SDS to assess new data center capacity across Korea.
- Software and services integration: Samsung and SK plan to adopt ChatGPT Enterprise and OpenAI API tools into their operations to improve internal workflows and spur innovation.
While the deal is quite impressive looking on paper, there are still challenges ahead. One concern is the timeline; while Samsung and SK have set ambitious wafer production targets, the actual rollout schedule remains unclear. Building large-scale AI data centers, particularly outside Seoul, will need massive capital investment and careful logistical planning. Another issue is sustainability, as expanding data center capacity will inevitably raise questions about power use, cooling demands, and environmental impact.
