[Edaily Reporter JAEMIN SONG ] SamsungElectronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong met with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, to explore comprehensive collaboration strategies covering AI semiconductors and enterprise AI transformation (AX). Although the specific agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, it is believed that they broadly discussed cooperation on high-bandwidth memory (HBM), DRAM, and foundry services—all necessary for expanding OpenAI’s AI infrastructure—as well as plans to implement generative AI across SamsungElectronics.

According to industry sources on the 26th, Chairman Lee visited OpenAI’s headquarters in San Francisco, U.S., on the morning of the 25th (local time) to meet with CEO Altman. Chairman Lee traveled to the U.S. to coincide with President Lee Jae-myung’s state visit and his attendance at the San Francisco AI Summit.

OpenAI did not disclose the specific details or agenda of their discussions. However, industry observers believe the two sides likely focused on ways to expand cooperation in the semiconductor sector—including HBM and server DRAM, as well as foundry services and advanced packaging—which are essential for building next-generation AI infrastructure.

As demand for graphics processing units (GPUs) and memory semiconductors has surged due to the expansion of generative AI services, OpenAI is accelerating efforts to build its own AI infrastructure supply chain. In the long term, the company is also showing signs of moving to reduce its dependence on NVIDIA by securing its own AI chips. This is why SamsungElectronics—which covers the entire semiconductor spectrum, from memory to foundry and advanced packaging—is considered a key partner.

The foundation for semiconductor cooperation between the two companies is already in place. SamsungElectronics and OpenAI signed a strategic partnership last October and have been collaborating to expand the production of advanced memory semiconductors and build next-generation AI infrastructure. At the time, OpenAI described the cooperative framework it had established with the South Korean government and domestic companies such as SamsungElectronics and SK hynix as its first country-level strategic partnership announced in the Asia-Pacific region.

In addition to semiconductors, SamsungElectronics’ AX initiative is also believed to have been a major agenda item. Last June, SamsungElectronics and OpenAI signed an agreement to supply ChatGPT Enterprise and the AI coding tool “Codex.” This is reportedly the largest AI supply contract OpenAI has ever signed with a global enterprise.

Originally, CEO Altman was scheduled to visit SamsungElectronics’ Suwon campus last June to participate in the “DX Insight Talk,” where he was to share Samsung’s vision for Business AX. However, he canceled the trip due to personal reasons, putting an end to what would have been his first visit to South Korea in eight months. As the previously postponed meeting between the top executives of both companies has now taken place in San Francisco, there are expectations that cooperation spanning semiconductor supply and the adoption of AX will become even more concrete.

Prior to his meeting with Chairman Lee, CEO Altman met with President Lee Jae-myung on the 24th and attended the San Francisco AI Summit.