OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to Visit Samsung Headquarters Next Week to Discuss AI Chip and Data Center Cooperation

TradingKey — During the Asian session on June 11, according to a report by Yonhap News Agency, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman plans to visit South Korea next week and will visit Samsung Electronics' headquarters in Suwon on June 15. The core agenda of this trip is to advance cooperation regarding the comprehensive integration of artificial intelligence into Samsung's business operations. During the visit, Altman will deliver a speech at the "DX Insight Talk" hosted by Samsung's Device Experience (DX) division, covering the impact of AI technology and the innovation of work styles driven by it.

This marks Altman's first visit to South Korea in approximately eight months. In October 2025, he met with Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won in South Korea, after which OpenAI signed letters of intent (LOI) with Samsung and SK Group for cooperation on global AI infrastructure development. These agreements involve the OpenAI-led "Stargate" project, an initiative to invest approximately $500 billion in building large-scale AI data centers in the U.S. Under the terms of the agreements, Samsung Electronics will provide high-performance, low-power memory for the project, while SK Hynix will participate as a core supplier of High Bandwidth Memory (HBM).

This visit coincides with Samsung's aggressive internal push for AI transformation. On June 9, Samsung Electronics announced a company-wide "AI Great Transformation" plan, aiming to introduce artificial intelligence across eight core business areas—including R&D, procurement, manufacturing, marketing, and service—to reshape workflows and corporate culture. While Samsung was previously cautious about using external generative AI tools due to security concerns, it officially granted employees access to services such as ChatGPT Enterprise, Gemini Enterprise, and Claude this month. Simultaneously, Samsung plans to host an AI boot camp for approximately 50 president-level executives and complete AI-related training for all employees.

According to the latest reports, Samsung Chairman Jay Y. Lee is currently on a business trip in Europe, and a meeting may not be scheduled during Altman's visit. It is also understood that while in South Korea, Altman will meet with Kakao CEO Shina Chung to discuss further cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence.

Analysts believe that as Samsung fully embraces generative AI, Altman's trip is expected to drive substantive progress in areas such as the semiconductor supply chain, AI data center construction, and the integration of smartphones with AI services, injecting new momentum into the consolidation of their strategic partnership.