---
title: "Altman Arrives in South Korea: OpenAI and Samsung Discuss AI Memory Amid Global Shortage"
description: "OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met with 50 Samsung Group executives in Yongin. The parties discussed memory chip supplies for Stargate and joint AI data centers amid surging prices and a semiconductor shortage."
date: 2026-10-31T16:55:42.702Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/altman-samsung-ai-memory-shortage
tags: [openai, samsung, sam-altman, ai-infrastructure, memory-chips, stargate, data-centers, semiconductors, south-korea]
author: "Alexander Buran"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Altman Arrives in South Korea: OpenAI and Samsung Discuss AI Memory Amid Global Shortage

![Smartphone in hands displaying the OpenAI ChatGPT mobile application interface on screen](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/31/altman-samsung-pamyat-ii-deficit/altman-samsung-pamyat-ii-deficit-1.webp)

## Key Points

- Sam Altman met with ~50 Samsung Group executives in Yongin to discuss the AI transformation of business for the decade ahead
- Samsung supplies memory chips for the Stargate project; the companies are jointly developing AI data centers, including floating marine platforms
- Memory shortages and rising semiconductor prices have become a key obstacle to expanding AI infrastructure; memory accounts for ~1/3 of data center costs
- The top five AI infrastructure players plan to invest over $3 trillion in the coming years
- Altman continues a series of visits by US tech leaders to South Korea following trips by Jensen Huang and Lisa Su

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has paid a working visit to South Korea, where he held a meeting with approximately 50 executives from companies within the Samsung Group. This was announced by Samsung itself, specifying that the talks took place in Yongin, a city located south of Seoul. The discussions involved top managers responsible for electronics manufacturing, financial operations, and biotechnology divisions within the corporate group. The central issue was the prospect of transforming various industries using artificial intelligence, as well as business opportunities for the next decade.

### Stargate, Floating Data Centers, and Memory Chips

The meeting was not the first high-level contact, but a logical continuation of the ongoing partnership between the two companies. Under the terms of the agreement, Samsung supplies memory chips for the large-scale Stargate infrastructure project, which OpenAI is implementing in partnership with other tech giants. In addition, the companies are jointly developing the concept of AI data centers, including non-standard projects for floating marine platforms designed to remove land and energy constraints when deploying computing clusters. Samsung, in turn, is actively introducing AI technologies into all areas of its operations—from research and production lines to marketing and corporate governance.

### Memory Shortage Hits the Entire AI Industry

The key context of Altman's visit is the mounting shortage of semiconductor memory, which has become a serious obstacle to AI companies' plans to expand computing infrastructure. The surge in demand for computing power has led to a sharp increase in the price not only of memory, but also of other semiconductor components for data centers: processors, accelerators, and consumer electronics elements. According to data provided in the article, memory accounts for about a third of all data center creation costs. High demand from data center operators increases competition for access to components: the top five players in AI infrastructure plan to invest more than three trillion dollars in the coming years.

### Altman is Not the First: A Wave of Silicon Valley Visits

Altman's visit to South Korea is not an isolated case. The country remains a global leader in the production of advanced memory chips, which is why it has become a magnet for the top management of the American tech sector. Since last year, Seoul has been visited twice by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and AMD CEO Lisa Su, also with the aim of strengthening supply chain ties. A steady pattern is emerging: the more aggressively AI giants build up infrastructure, the more often their leaders personally travel to chip manufacturers to guarantee priority access to scarce components.

### What This Means for the Market

The combination of factors—trillion-dollar investments by the top five players, rising prices for memory and processors, and the transition to non-standard forms of data center deployment (including floating platforms)—indicates that competition for computing resources in 2026–2030 will be determined not only by algorithms, but also by the physical availability of semiconductors. Altman's visit to Samsung confirms that even the company sitting at the top of the AI market is forced to personally negotiate the supply of basic components. For Samsung, in turn, this is a strengthening of its position in the value chain: from a chip supplier to a strategic partner involved in designing entire infrastructure projects.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Альтман приехал к Samsung выпрашивать память для ИИ на фоне усиления дефицита window-new](https://3dnews.ru/1150707/altman-priehal-k-samsung-viprashivat-pamyat-na-fone-usileniya-defitsita) - Primary source. All key facts (meeting location — Yongin, ~50 executives, Stargate project, floating data centers, memory shortage, $3 trillion investments, visits by Huang and Su) are taken from this material. Author: Vladimir Mironenko.

## FAQ

### Where and when did Altman's meeting with Samsung management take place?

The meeting took place in Yongin, a city south of Seoul, South Korea. The exact date is not specified in the source, but the material is published in the context of current events. About 50 executives from Samsung Group companies took part.

### What is the Stargate project and what is Samsung's role?

Stargate is OpenAI's infrastructure project to create AI computing power. Samsung acts as a memory chip supplier for this project, which is enshrined as part of the long-term partnership between the two companies.

### Why is the memory shortage critical for the AI industry?

Memory accounts for about a third of all data center construction costs. The surge in demand for computing power has led to a sharp rise in prices for memory and other semiconductors, limiting AI companies' ability to expand infrastructure.

### Which other US tech leaders have visited South Korea?

Starting last year, South Korea has been visited twice by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and AMD CEO Lisa Su—also with the goal of strengthening semiconductor supply chain ties.