Sam Altman makes surprise South Korea visit as OpenAI builds on chip partnerships

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made an unannounced visit to South Korea over the weekend, meeting with Samsung executives and reportedly meeting with SK Group executives, according to CNBC and CNBC Technology. During a roundtable at the Samsung Human Resources Development Institute on Oct. 31, Altman spoke to approximately 50 presidents of Samsung affiliates regarding how corporate success will depend on the speed of AI innovation.

He was accompanied by a senior OpenAI delegation that included Richard Ho, Arvind KC, and Kiran Mani, according to BusinessKorea.

In a speech to parliament on Monday, President Lee Jae Myung announced plans to double spending on semiconductors and artificial intelligence in 2027 to a record US$16 billion. The New Straits Times reports that this funding will be allocated to semiconductors, physical AI, and AI data centres. The president stated that the government intends to invest 4.7 trillion won toward frontier AI development projects to achieve world-leading performance for a national AI model.

South Korea’s exports rose 93.7 percent in October to $115.28 billion, marking the sharpest jump in more than 50 years, according to Qatar Tribune Business. The surge was driven by robust global demand for AI investment, which boosted shipments of chips from manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

Brief written by urgent.news from CNBC, CNBC Technology, New Straits Times, BusinessKorea, Qatar Tribune Business — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.