[News] OpenAI’s Altman Visits South Korea, Taiwan Amid Chip Push, Fueling Samsung Foundry Speculation
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is strengthening ties with Asian semiconductor suppliers as the company advances its in-house AI chip development. According to Seoul Economic Daily, Altman visited South Korea for the first time in about a year, meeting with Samsung Electronics executives to discuss AI cooperation. Notably, Richard Ho, OpenAI’s vice president overseeing in-house AI chip development, accompanied Altman, fueling speculation about potential collaboration on next-generation AI accelerators.
Samsung could play a broader role in OpenAI’s chip development. Seoul Economic Daily reports, citing industry sources, that OpenAI’s in-house AI accelerator, Jalapeño, is expected to use Samsung’s next-generation HBM4 memory. The report also notes that Samsung signed a memorandum of understanding with Broadcom in July covering up to US$200 billion in memory and foundry cooperation through 2030. With Broadcom developing custom AI chips for OpenAI, Samsung could also gain opportunities in foundry and packaging services.
Altman also met with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, with executives from SK hynix and SK Telecom reportedly attending, according to Business Korea. Although details were not disclosed, the discussions are believed to have covered existing cooperation on HBM supply and AI data center development in South Korea, along with potential future collaboration.
The meetings also come as OpenAI advances its Stargate initiative. According to The Asia Business Daily, OpenAI’s Stargate team reportedly visited South Korea ahead of Altman to discuss semiconductor supply volumes, contract terms, and AI infrastructure development with local companies, including HBM supply talks with Samsung.
These discussions take place amid tightening HBM supply and rising costs. According to TrendForce, HBM’s blended average selling price is projected to rise 121% YoY in 2027, driven by supply constraints and a growing share of higher-priced HBM4.
Taiwan Visit Highlights OpenAI’s Custom AI Chip Ambitions
Altman’s outreach also extended to Taiwan. According to Commercial Times, Foxconn Chairman Young Liu confirmed meeting with Altman, while Reuters reports that the company is working on a new collaboration with OpenAI. Meanwhile, sources cited by Commercial Times also say Altman met with TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei and engaged with AI server suppliers including Quanta and Wistron.
The visits come as OpenAI scales up its in-house AI chip development. In June 2026, OpenAI and Broadcom unveiled their first custom AI inference chip, Jalapeño, which took just nine months from initial design to tape-out. According to OpenAI, the chip has undergone performance testing, with initial deployment planned by the end of 2026 and expansion to gigawatt-scale capacity in the coming years.
On the manufacturing front, Commercial Times reports, citing supply chain sources, that OpenAI’s first-generation ASIC uses TSMC’s 3nm process, while its second-generation chip is reportedly planned to adopt A16, leveraging backside power delivery to improve performance and energy efficiency.
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(Photo credit: Samsung)
