SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - South Korea has hit the accelerator in the global race for AI supremacy, drawing global capital and top-tier software players while leveraging its world-class chip and hardware infrastructure to establish itself as Asia’s hub for data centers.
On Wednesday, the country’s two leading conglomerates—Samsung and SK Group, both home to the world’s biggest memory chipmakers—announced landmark partnerships with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT.
The alliance spans the full AI ecosystem—from semiconductor production to data center design, operations, and AI service deployment—with the aim of driving next-generation AI infrastructure innovation.
SK hynix, the global leader in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) crucial for AI chips, will supply OpenAI with advanced memory solutions and collaborate on its data center in southwestern Korea under an MoU signed with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
SK Telecom, the group’s wireless carrier, will jointly develop an OpenAI-dedicated AI data center in the region—already dubbed the “Korean Stargate.”
Samsung Group struck a separate broad-ranging business partnership with OpenAI covering semiconductors, data centers, and cloud services. The joint venture will engage Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDS, Samsung C&T, and Samsung Heavy Industries to build out global AI infrastructure.
The landmark deals come on the heels of Korea’s agreement with BlackRock Chairman Larry Fink during President Lee Jae Myung’s U.S. trip last month. Under the pact, the world’s largest asset manager pledged to channel global capital into Korea’s AI and renewable energy initiatives.
“AI development must go hand in hand with decarbonization, given the immense power needs of data centers,” Ha Jung-woo, Senior Presidential Secretary for AI Future Planning, said in New York.
Chairman Fink, he added, committed to actively facilitate capital flows to help establish Korea as Asia’s “AI Capital.”
As not to compromise its decarbonization scheme with AI drive, Seoul is building renewable energy “highways” to power the next wave of AI infrastructure—projects requiring heavy government outlays and large-scale private investment. The initiative has already drawn marquee names including Amazon, BlackRock, and OpenAI.
The global spotlight on Korea’s AI push sparked a market rally. The benchmark KOSPI surged 3 percent Thursday to break past the 3,500 milestone. Shares of SK hynix soared 11 percent, Samsung Electronics jumped 5 percent, and foreign investors were net buyers of more than 1.7 trillion won ($1.21 billion)
“The structural growth trajectory of the AI industry continues to lift the entire value chain,” said Han Ji-young, researcher at Kiwoom Securities. “Micron’s stock surge underscores expectations that explosive AI demand will drive a super cycle across memory sectors including HBM, DRAM, and NAND.”
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