Samsung will join OpenAI in the Stargate project to build core global AI infrastructure. The Stargate project is a large-scale initiative in which OpenAI, together with global technology investment corporations, will construct supercomputers and data centers. Led by OpenAI, Japan's investment company SoftBank Group, and U.S. software company Oracle, the plan is to establish an AI joint venture called Stargate to build AI infrastructure, including data centers, in the United States, with a total investment of $500 billion (about 700 trillion won).
On the 1st, Samsung said it held a signing ceremony for a letter of intent (LOI) with OpenAI to build AI infrastructure at the Samsung Electronics Seocho office building in Gangnam District, Seoul. That day, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong had a surprise meeting with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to discuss cooperation plans. The Samsung affiliates that signed the LOI with OpenAI are Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDS, Samsung C&T, and Samsung Heavy Industries, four companies in total. Attendees included Altman; Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun; Samsung Heavy Industries Vice Chairman Choi Sung-an; Samsung C&T President Oh Se-chul; and Samsung SDS President Lee Jun-hee.
A Samsung official said, "As a strategic partner of OpenAI, we plan to pool each company's core strengths in semiconductors, data centers, cloud, and marine technology to build an all-around cooperation framework."
Samsung Electronics said it plans to help ensure that OpenAI, which is carrying out the Stargate project, can receive a stable supply of high-performance, low-power memory. As a strategic partner of OpenAI, Samsung Electronics plans to support OpenAI so it does not face difficulties in procuring memory solutions. OpenAI is expected to need a large volume of high-performance DRAM, estimated at 900,000 wafers per month.
Samsung SDS formed a partnership with OpenAI for joint development of AI data centers and for providing enterprise AI services. Based on advanced data center technologies, Samsung SDS plans to collaborate on the design, construction, and operation of OpenAI's Stargate AI data centers.
Through the LOI, Samsung SDS can now carry out consulting, deployment, and operations projects for corporations that want to introduce OpenAI models into their in-house work systems. In addition, Samsung SDS signed a reseller partnership to sell OpenAI's enterprise services and provide technical support domestically for the first time, and it plans to help domestic corporations use OpenAI's enterprise ChatGPT services going forward.
Samsung C&T and Samsung Heavy Industries will work with OpenAI for the advancement and development of global AI data centers, and in particular will cooperate to jointly develop floating data centers. A floating data center is an advanced data center installed at sea, which has fewer space constraints than building on land, can reduce heat cooling expense, and has the advantage of lowering carbon emissions. In addition to floating data centers, Samsung C&T and Samsung Heavy Industries plan to pursue the development of floating power generation facilities and control centers.