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 executives from SK Group, according to CNBC reports. During a roundtable at the Samsung Human Resources Development Institute in Yongin, Altman addressed approximately 50 presidents of Samsung affiliates regarding how corporate success will depend on the speed of AI innovation and product development, according to BusinessKorea.

Altman was accompanied by a senior OpenAI delegation including Richard Ho, Arvind KC, and Kiran Mani. During the session, Altman presented Samsung executives with a Codex Micro Keyboard and discussed the potential value of deploying AI across businesses as Samsung pursues companywide AI transformation, BusinessKorea reported.

Separately, the New Straits Times reports that President Lee Jae Myung announced a budget proposal on Monday to double South Korean spending on artificial intelligence and semiconductors to a record 21.3 trillion won (US$16 billion) by 2027. The plan includes investments in semiconductors, physical AI, and AI data centres.

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