Sam Altman Encourages South Korea To Lead In AI Chip Production

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, developer of ChatGPT, met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. (photo: Twitter @sama)

JAKARTA - Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, ChatGPT developer, met South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on June 9 and prompted South Korea to play a major role in producing the chips needed for artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Altman also showed interest in investing in Korean startups and collaborating with large chipmakers such as Samsung Electronics.

According to local news media, the CEO proposed South Korea to focus on chips, as both system semiconductors and memory chips are needed for AI, and reduce company regulations to advance AI projects and work towards setting international standards.

Altman, who recently traveled to Europe to interact with policymakers and leaders to discuss AI's potentials and challenges, is now expanding the journey to include Israel, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, India, and South Korea.

honored to discuss ai with President Yoon. first visit to 🇰🇷—such a wonderful country! pic.twitter.com/Ev3PSMx9cW

— Sam Altman (@sama) June 9, 2023

honored to discuss ai with President Yoon. first visit to worry'such a wonderful country! pic.twitter.com/EV3PSMx9cW

At a conference in Seoul, Altman expressed his intention to expand investment in Korean startups, saying, "We are actively exploring ways to increase our investment in Korean startups."

When asked about the possibility of cooperation with Korean chipmakers such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, Altman confirmed that there are ongoing talks and expressed his desire to be more involved in the dialogue. According to Nikkei Asia, Samsung Electronics Korea holds a market share of more than 40% in the dynamic random access memory chip sector.

Altman explained that AI relies on large volume transfers of data, resulting in an increase in demand for memory chips. He also mentioned that currently OpenAI uses chips from Taiwan, but added that there will be a need for chip supplies from Korea in the future.

Fast progress and the widespread adoption of a generative AI - after OpenAI's launch of a ChatGPT with support from Microsoft - prompted policymakers around the world to make regulations addressing safety implications related to this technology.

The European Union is working on a Draft Law on Artificial Intelligence which is expected to be promulgated this year, while policymakers in the United States have proposed two draft cross-party laws targeting issues of transparency and innovation in AI.

Altman expressed his admiration for how Koreans responded and experimented with ChatGPT after its launch, saying that Korea was one of the early users of the service and showed great creativity in its use.

The CEO also shared that OpenAI is actively involved in the opening process of offices in Japan. In addition, the company will consider opening more offices around the world as part of future plans.