OpenAI Deepens Samsung Partnership to Develop Next-Generation AI Chips

OpenAI is expanding its partnership with Samsung Electronics as it works on developing next-generation artificial intelligence chips. The cooperation could strengthen OpenAI’s position in the semiconductor industry while giving Samsung a larger role in the company’s growing AI infrastructure plans.

Harrison Kim, General Manager of OpenAI Korea, said the two companies have made significant progress in joint research and production of the next-generation chips. He made the comments during a press conference in Seoul but did not provide specific details about the chips or their production plans.

OpenAI Deepens Samsung Partnership to Develop Next-Generation AI Chips

OpenAI has been working to develop its own custom chips as it looks for ways to support the growing computing demands of services such as ChatGPT. In June, the company introduced its first custom AI chip, called Jalapeno. OpenAI designed the chip with Broadcom, with a focus on AI inference, which involves processing data to generate responses to user requests.

At the time, OpenAI said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) would manufacture the Jalapeno chips. The latest cooperation with Samsung appears to involve a broader effort around future chip development and production.

Memory technology is also becoming an important part of OpenAI’s plans. Kim said demand for memory chips is expected to keep increasing as AI systems require more powerful hardware for faster and more complex computing.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix previously signed agreements to supply memory chips for OpenAI’s Stargate data center project. These partnerships give OpenAI access to major South Korean semiconductor suppliers as it expands its AI infrastructure.

OpenAI is also seeing strong demand for its enterprise AI services in South Korea. The company said the number of ChatGPT Enterprise users at South Korean companies and institutions increased around 28 times by the end of August compared with the same period a year earlier.

Businesses are increasingly using AI beyond individual tasks. Companies are now applying AI to areas such as legal work, sales, finance, marketing and operations. OpenAI did not disclose the total number of enterprise users.

Samsung is also expanding its use of generative AI internally. The company said in June that employees in its Device eXperience division could use AI services including ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude for work.

See Also: GPT-6 Astra: OpenAI Introduces Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet

South Korea has become an important market for OpenAI. The company said the country had the largest number of paying ChatGPT subscribers outside the United States as of late last year.

OpenAI expects AI adoption to grow further following the launch of GPT-6 Astra on September 4. The company says its latest model delivers stronger performance in areas such as computer use, professional work, science, coding, and cybersecurity.

The growing cooperation between OpenAI and Samsung highlights the increasing importance of close ties between AI companies and semiconductor manufacturers. As AI models become more demanding, access to advanced processors and high-performance memory will remain critical for building the infrastructure needed to support them.