Altman deepens Korean chip ties as memory supplies tighten

Sam Altman visited South Korea to build on OpenAI’s relationships with Samsung and SK Group, meeting around 50 Samsung executives and reportedly holding talks with SK Group Chair Chey Tae-won. [2][6] The meetings came as advanced-memory demand exceeded available supply: Samsung said its 2027 HBM supply was sold out, while SK hynix said production through 2029 was effectively accounted for through contracts and customer negotiations. [2] No new agreements were announced, and participants did not confirm chip-pricing or investment commitments. [2] Why it matters: OpenAI’s computing expansion depends partly on obtaining advanced memory at manageable costs, giving Korean suppliers leverage over the pace and expense of that expansion. Its earlier Stargate agreements outlined substantial projected demand, but were not binding orders, and Korean data-center budgets and construction schedules remain unsettled. [2] Key insights: SK hynix said customers were requesting more than twice the HBM volume it could supply, illustrating the gap between demand and available production. [2] | TrendForce forecasts a 121 percent increase in HBM’s blended average selling price in 2027 versus 2026; that reflects both tight supply and a shift toward more expensive HBM4 chips, not uniform price increases. [2] | Samsung’s confirmed discussions covered business uses of AI across its affiliates; possible chip and data-center discussions with SK were reported by local media rather than detailed by participants. [6] Cheatsheet facts: What happened: Altman met Samsung executives and reportedly met SK Group leaders to build on existing AI partnerships. [2][6] | Why: OpenAI needs advanced memory for expanding infrastructure, while SK hynix says customer requests exceed twice its available HBM supply. [2] | Who pays: Higher memory costs could increase OpenAI’s infrastructure budgets; TrendForce forecasts a 121 percent rise in blended HBM selling prices in 2027. [2] | The catch: Earlier Stargate demand projections were not binding orders, and the visit produced no announced supply or investment commitments. [2]