Altman Meets Samsung and SK Leaders as AI Memory Supply Tightens

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met Samsung executives and South Korean business leaders during a visit that highlighted growing pressure on memory supplies for artificial intelligence. No new memory supply agreement was announced.

Samsung said the discussion covered “the direction of AI technology development and its potential applications.” The session, held at Samsung’s Human Resources Development Center in Yongin, was officially a seminar on how AI could reshape management. The Korea Herald reported that it was Samsung’s second intensive AI training program for top leaders in 2026.

Samsung’s Jun Young-hyun, who leads its Device Solutions chip division, and Song Yong-ho, head of its AI Center, attended. Altman brought four OpenAI executives, including hardware vice president Richard Ho. He also met SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and executives from SK hynix and SK Telecom; details of that discussion were not disclosed.

Altman’s visit came days after he described global memory supply as poorly allocated and called the environment “very supply-constrained” on the Cheeky Pint podcast. Samsung has said its 2027 high-bandwidth memory supply is sold out, while SK hynix says its DRAM and HBM output is effectively committed through 2029. SK hynix executive Kim Ki-tae told analysts that customers were requesting more than twice the volume the company could supply.

The meetings have prompted speculation about securing more memory, but neither side confirmed discussions of chip pricing or investment commitments. A supply deal remains unannounced.