What happened on the trip
Altman quietly visited South Korea over the weekend and left on Saturday, local outlets reported. Samsung said he gathered with roughly 50 leaders from its affiliates in Yongin, south of Seoul.
What was discussed
South Korean media reported Altman met SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won for lunch on Saturday, joined by senior leaders from SK Hynix and SK Telecom. According to those accounts, discussion topics likely ranged from joint efforts around AI processors and data-center infrastructure to ongoing plans for high-bandwidth memory provisioning and building AI-oriented data centers. The parties disclosed no specifics, and SK Hynix told CNBC it could not verify that the meeting took place.
The backstory
Altman previously traveled to South Korea in October 2025, meeting President Lee Jae Myung, Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee and SK Group's Chey Tae-won. During that trip, he unveiled partnerships with Samsung and SK Group tied to OpenAI's Stargate initiative, which aims to scale AI infrastructure globally.
As part of Stargate, South Korea's role involves deals focused on supplying advanced memory chips and building AI data centers. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix set out intentions to boost production of advanced memory chips, and OpenAI, along with its partners in South Korea, said they would investigate building AI data centers within the country. OpenAI has pointed to South Korea's standing as a global leader on AI readiness and to sizable public private funding aimed at boosting competitiveness as reasons to expand in the market. Samsung also noted Altman met Jay Y. Lee in July at OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters.
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