Samsung Electronics, SK Group, and OpenAI have announced a new round of strategic partnerships under the Stargate initiative, the artificial intelligence infrastructure platform led by OpenAI. The collaboration was unveiled after a high-level meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul involving President Lee Jae-myung, Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee, SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The agreements aim to expand advanced memory chip supply and accelerate the development of next-generation AI data centers in Korea.
Stargate Partnership Goals
Under the new agreements, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix plan to scale up production of advanced memory chips to a combined target of 900,000 DRAM wafer starts per month. This accelerated capacity rollout is intended to support OpenAI's advanced AI models and broader infrastructure needs. The companies will also look to deploy ChatGPT Enterprise and API capabilities into their operations to improve workflows and support new forms of innovation.
Data Center Development and Regional Growth
OpenAI has signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT to evaluate opportunities for building AI data centers outside the Seoul Metropolitan Area. The objective is to support balanced regional economic growth and job creation across the country. Separate agreements with SK Telecom and with Samsung C&T, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Samsung SDS will assess additional data center capacity in Korea.
Next-Generation Chip Development
According to OpenAI Korea General Manager Harrison Kim, chip collaboration is one of the most advanced areas of cooperation with Samsung Electronics. The two companies are working on joint production and research of next-generation chips that OpenAI is developing. Kim did not disclose specifications, division of responsibilities, or release timelines, and Samsung declined to comment on customer-related information.
A Broader Chip Strategy
OpenAI is simultaneously developing its own AI chips and partnering with major semiconductor manufacturers. In June, OpenAI unveiled its first custom AI chip called Jalapeno, developed with Broadcom to perform AI inference tasks. Production of that chip was reported to be handled by Taiwan's TSMC, while Samsung and SK hynix signed memoranda of intent to supply memory chips for the Stargate project.
Enterprise Adoption and Market Growth
Samsung Electronics is described by OpenAI as one of the largest enterprise users of ChatGPT in the world, with employees using the technology across research and development, marketing, and sales. OpenAI reported that ChatGPT Enterprise users in South Korean companies and institutions increased roughly 28 times compared with the same period a year earlier. According to Reuters, South Korea was also the largest ChatGPT market by number of paid subscribers after the United States by the end of last year.
Leadership Perspectives
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said Korea has all the ingredients to be a global leader in AI, including tech talent, world-class infrastructure, strong government support, and a thriving AI ecosystem. Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee emphasized that the world is at a pivotal moment with AI and that the industry must collaborate. SK Chairman Chey Tae-won called the Stargate partnership a landmark moment and the starting point for innovation across SK's memory, data center, energy, and network businesses.
Further details on the scope and specifics of these collaborations will be shared as plans progress. The partnerships position Samsung and SK as key contributors to global AI infrastructure and support Korea's ambition to become a top-three global AI nation. The agreements reflect a broader push by OpenAI to secure advanced memory supply, expand data center capacity, and deepen enterprise adoption of its AI tools.