The Pulse
Altman Meets 50 Samsung Presidents as OpenAI Seeks AI Memory
Sam Altman met about 50 Samsung affiliate presidents in Yongin, South Korea, on October 31, 2026. The meeting followed an existing Samsung-OpenAI agreement to pursue memory-chip supply for OpenAI’s Stargate project, but Samsung announced no
AI.info Team · Written with AI · fact-checked ·
Fifty Samsung presidents meet Altman in Yongin
About 50 Samsung affiliate presidents gathered with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman on October 31 at Samsung’s human-resources center in Yongin, South Korea. The executives represented electronics, finance and biotechnology businesses, including Samsung Electronics. Samsung said the session covered how artificial intelligence could affect corporate decisions, management and new business opportunities.
The company framed the meeting as an executive seminar, not a disclosed memory-purchasing negotiation. Its theme was “The Next Decade AI Will Change: Choices for Companies.” Samsung’s statement said participants reviewed AI’s development and applications, but did not announce a new chip contract or specify memory volumes.
Samsung’s existing Stargate supply effort
The meeting took place against an existing commercial backdrop: Samsung Electronics and OpenAI signed a letter of intent in October 2025 to pursue memory-chip supply for OpenAI’s Stargate infrastructure project. Samsung’s statement also says Samsung SDS agreed to cooperate on AI data centers and business services, while Samsung C&T and Samsung Heavy Industries agreed to work on floating data centers.
Seoul Economic Daily reported that Richard Ho, OpenAI’s vice president responsible for in-house AI chip development, accompanied Altman. The paper said his presence prompted speculation about possible work on future AI accelerators; it also reported, citing industry sources, that OpenAI’s in-house accelerator Jalapeño is expected to use Samsung’s next-generation HBM4 memory. Neither company announced a new accelerator agreement at the meeting.
Altman’s message to Samsung’s leadership
Altman urged the executives to treat AI as more than a software purchase. “Simply adopting AI makes it difficult to secure a sustainable competitive advantage,” he said, according to Seoul Economic Daily. The paper reported his view that companies gain an edge by using AI to move faster, build better products and get ahead of competitors.
The presidents took part in generative-AI training before the discussion, following an earlier session in June. Samsung said the executives practiced organizing management materials into personal knowledge repositories and using AI in decision-making. The company says it has trained about 2,300 executives and aims to complete AI training for all employees by February 2027.
Memory demand raises the stakes
Samsung’s interest in AI infrastructure comes as demand for memory used in data centers puts pressure on chip supply. The Associated Press reported on October 29 that Samsung posted third-quarter operating profit of 107.4 trillion won, a record, and said demand for AI-related chips is expected to outpace supply through 2027.
That shortage makes the existing OpenAI-Samsung supply effort significant, but the Yongin session itself produced no public update on quantities, delivery schedules or contract terms. Samsung’s account describes a discussion about AI’s business effects and executive readiness; the companies have not disclosed whether memory supply was negotiated in the room.