OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Meets Samsung, SK Leaders During Korea Visit
Simply adopting artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer enough to secure a sustainable competitive advantage, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, told executives from Samsung affiliates on Oct. 31. Speaking at a roundtable at the Samsung Human Resources Development Institute in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, A
On October 31, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met with executives from Samsung and SK Group during a visit to South Korea. Speaking at a roundtable at the Samsung Human Resources Development Institute in Yongin, Altman emphasized that merely adopting artificial intelligence (AI) is not sufficient for long-term competitive advantage. He argued that companies must leverage AI to drive innovation and develop superior products.
Altman addressed around 50 Samsung executives, discussing the importance of AI in shaping the enterprise landscape over the next decade. He presented the Samsung leaders with a Codex Micro Keyboard, a device designed for OpenAI's coding agent, suggesting that traditional full-sized keyboards may become obsolete as voice commands become more prevalent.
Altman outlined his vision for enterprise AI adoption, advocating for the integration of AI across various business operations to streamline processes and maintain a competitive edge.
The meeting highlighted the existing partnership between OpenAI and Samsung in AI infrastructure, which was formalized in October 2025 through a letter of intent. This partnership covers areas such as advanced semiconductors, data centers, cloud services, shipbuilding, and maritime technologies. Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics, had also visited OpenAI's headquarters in San Francisco in July 2026, strengthening their collaboration.
Altman also met with Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, in Seoul on the same day. Although specifics of their discussions were not disclosed, it is believed they reviewed ongoing cooperation projects, including the supply of high-bandwidth memory and the development of AI data centers in South Korea. SK Group has committed to participating in OpenAI's Stargate initiative, a large-scale AI infrastructure project, and aims to build a cluster with over 2 GW of capacity in the Yeongnam region by 2029, potentially expanding to 15 GW by 2035, depending on market demand and investment conditions.
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