OpenAI ropes in Samsung, SK Hynix to source memory chips for Stargate

OpenAI has entered into agreements with South Korean memory chip giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to supply DRAM wafers for its Stargate AI infrastructure project and to build AI data centers in South Korea. The deals, formalized through letters of intent following a high-profile meeting involving OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and South Korean leadership, will see Samsung and SK Hynix scale production to deliver up to 900,000 high-bandwidth memory DRAM chips monthly—more than doubling the current industry capacity for such chips. This move is part of OpenAI’s broader strategy to rapidly expand its compute capacity for AI development. These agreements come amid a flurry of recent investments and partnerships aimed at boosting OpenAI’s compute power. Notably, Nvidia committed to providing OpenAI access to over 10 gigawatts of AI training compute, while OpenAI also partnered with SoftBank, Oracle, and SK Telecom to increase its total compute capacity to 7 gigawatts and develop AI data centers