Samsung announced a multi-divisional collaboration with OpenAI on Tuesday, bringing together four separate Samsung companies to accelerate AI infrastructure development worldwide. The partnership spans semiconductor production, cloud services, data center construction, and maritime engineering capabilities.

Executives from Samsung Electronics, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung C&T, and Samsung SDS gathered at Samsung’s Seoul headquarters to formalize the letter of intent. Young Hyun Jun (Vice Chairman & CEO of Samsung Electronics), Sung-an Choi (Vice Chairman & CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries), Sechul Oh (President & CEO of Samsung C&T), and Junehee Lee (President & CEO of Samsung SDS) attended the signing ceremony.

Memory Chip Supply for Stargate Initiative

Samsung Electronics will serve as OpenAI’s strategic memory partner, supplying semiconductor solutions for the global Stargate project. OpenAI’s projected memory requirements could reach 900,000 DRAM wafers monthly, and Samsung plans to meet this demand with its high-performance, energy-efficient DRAM product line.

Samsung’s semiconductor capabilities extend across memory, logic, and foundry operations, supporting the complete AI workflow from initial training through inference deployment. The company’s advanced chip packaging expertise and heterogeneous integration between memory and system semiconductors position it to deliver specialized solutions tailored for OpenAI’s requirements.

Data Center Development and Enterprise AI Services

Samsung SDS entered discussions with OpenAI to co-develop AI data centers and deliver enterprise-focused AI services. Drawing on its data center technology experience, Samsung SDS will participate in designing, developing, and operating Stargate AI facilities.

The partnership enables Samsung SDS to offer consulting, deployment, and management services for businesses integrating OpenAI’s models into their internal systems. Samsung SDS also secured reseller rights for OpenAI services in Korea, planning to help local companies adopt ChatGPT Enterprise solutions.

Floating Data Center Innovation

Samsung C&T and Samsung Heavy Industries will work with OpenAI on global AI data center advancement, emphasizing joint development of floating data center technology.

Floating data centers offer potential advantages over traditional land-based facilities—they address land scarcity issues, reduce cooling expenses, and lower carbon emissions. Technical complexity has prevented widespread deployment so far, but Samsung’s engineering expertise could change that equation.

Beyond floating data centers, Samsung C&T and Samsung Heavy Industries plan to explore floating power plant and control center projects, leveraging their proprietary maritime and construction technologies.

Strategic Implications for Korea’s AI Ambitions

This OpenAI collaboration marks Samsung’s commitment to supporting Korea’s goal of becoming a top-three global AI nation. The partnership creates new opportunities in an industry where Korea seeks expanded influence.

Samsung is also considering broader ChatGPT adoption across its corporate operations to drive AI transformation in workplace environments.

The partnership reflects a trend where established technology manufacturers are positioning themselves as essential infrastructure providers for AI companies rather than competing directly in the AI model development space. Samsung’s diversified business structure—spanning semiconductors, construction, shipbuilding, and cloud services—allows it to address multiple aspects of AI infrastructure needs through a single partnership framework.