Zinger Key Points
- OpenAI chief Sam Altman visits Korea to meet Samsung and SK Hynix leaders, exploring AI chip and AI-specific device collaborations.
- Altman and SoftBank may seek Samsung’s investment in the $500B "Stargate" AI venture, expanding AI partnerships in Korea and Japan.
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OpenAI chief Sam Altman, currently in Korea, wants to meet with Samsung Electronics SSNLF Chair Lee Yong and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son on Tuesday.
SoftBank agreed to set up a joint venture in Japan with OpenAI to offer AI services to corporate customers, Reuters reports. The joint venture, dubbed SB OpenAI Japan, will be owned by OpenAI, a company established by SoftBank and its domestic telecoms arm. SoftBank will pay $3 billion annually to use OpenAI’s technology across Softbank group companies.
OpenAI and SoftBank may ask Samsung to invest in their Stargate venture project, the Korea Herald reports.
In January 2024, Altman visited Samsung’s production facility in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Altman had voiced plans to develop such AI-specific hardware via a partnership.
The industrialists will likely discuss potential collaboration on advanced AI technology, including producing an AI-specific device.
The artificial intelligence frenzy is in no mood to slow down as global companies forge partnerships to integrate technology into various operations.
Donald Trump’s second time as the US President was well-timed with the $500 billion “Stargate” AI venture with OpenAI, SoftBank Group Corp SFTBF SFTBY, Oracle Corp ORCL, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX.
Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL Google earmarked over $1 billion in OpenAI rival Anthropic, intensifying competition with Microsoft Corp MSFT and Amazon.Com Inc AMZN.
Anthropic was also on the verge of securing a further $2 billion from Silicon Valley venture capital investors in a deal likely to triple the start-up’s valuation to about $60 billion versus OpenAI’s $157 billion valuation. Like Meta Platforms Inc META and Microsoft, OpenAI and Elon Musk’s xAI raised over $10 billion in 2024.
Altman also met Samsung rival SK Hynix Chair Chey Tae-won and CEO Kwak Noh-jung to discuss potential collaboration on AI memory chips, including high bandwidth memory AI services, the Korea Herald reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter. This meeting followed the previous discussions between Chey and Altman in Seoul in January 2024 and in the US in July.
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