OpenAI Korea's new head vows to become best partner for AI transformation

Kim Kyoung-hoon, the new head of OpenAI Korea, said Thursday that the U.S.-based ChatGPT developer is moving ahead with its Stargate project, the company's overarching artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure program, on a dual-track system in partnership with Samsung Group and SK Group.

"We are proceeding with two Stargate projects," Kim, who was recently appointed as general manager at OpenAI Korea, said in a press conference in downtown Seoul. "Coincidentally, our Stargate team from the U.S. headquarters came to Korea this week and met with officials from our partners, Samsung and SK."

In October, OpenAI signed separate initial agreements with Samsung and SK for the supply of memory chips tied to the Stargate project, which aims to build global AI infrastructure. The deals were announced during Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sam Altman's visit to Seoul.

The program with SK Group includes plans to build a data center in the country's southwestern region, while the partnership with Samsung covers the joint development of experimental floating data centers.

"They are at a very early or planning stage," Kim said. "We are still a startup, and we are focusing on expanding collaboration as we push forward with this infrastructure-building project."

To mark the third anniversary of ChatGPT's launch, Kim also highlighted how the AI chatbot has become deeply integrated into daily life in Korea, particularly in business settings.

ChatGPT's daily message volume in Korea reached 2.63 billion as of June this year, up sharply from 450 million a year earlier.

Document translation and email writing account for 29 percent of ChatGPT usage in Korea, compared with about 30 percent of global users who rely on the service for exercise, health and other lifestyle information.

"Koreans view ChatGPT as a business partner faster than any other country in the world," he said. "They use ChatGPT as a way to improve productivity and efficiency."

Kim added that the growing integration of AI into everyday life, along with Korea's usage patterns, is expected to accelerate corporate AI transformation in the country.

"Most economically valuable activities occur within businesses. The positive economic effects of AI can be realized through corporate AI transformation," he said. "OpenAI Korea will become the best partner for Korean companies in supporting their AI transformation."