Altman Meets Samsung, SK Executives in Korea With No New Memory Deal

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met with about 50 senior Samsung executives at Samsung's training center in Yongin, south of Seoul, on November 6, Samsung said. The two sides discussed the direction of AI technology and possible applications, but no new memory supply contract was announced.

Among the attendees were Samsung Vice Chairman Jeon Young-hyun, who heads the semiconductor business, and Song Yong-ho, head of the AI Center in the Device Solutions division. Four OpenAI staff accompanied Altman, including Richard Ho, vice president of hardware, according to digitaltoday.co.kr.

On the same day, Altman had lunch with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and executives from SK hynix and SK Telecom, extending the trip's talks beyond Samsung.

Supply remains the backdrop

In a podcast published two days before his Korea trip, Altman said the memory supply environment is very constrained and noted that much of the world's DRAM goes into personal computers. Last week Samsung said its 2027 HBM output is already fully sold.

SK hynix's Kim Ki-tae said the company's DRAM and HBM production is effectively booked through 2029, with demand exceeding available supply by more than double. In October 2025, a Samsung letter of intent projected OpenAI memory demand of up to 900,000 DRAM wafers per month, described at the time as close to a production target rather than a binding order.