SK Group chief, OpenAI CEO discuss AI cooperation in San Francisco meeting

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during Snowflake Summit 2025 at Moscone Center in San Francisco, Calif., June 2. AFP-Yonhap

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won recently met with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in San Francisco to discuss potential collaboration on artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and broader strategic partnerships, according to industry sources Monday.

Chey visited OpenAI's headquarters in San Francisco in early July and held talks with Altman, marking their first meeting since their last one in Seoul five months ago, the sources said.

The two business leaders previously met in February during a closed-door OpenAI workshop event in Seoul. They have maintained a close relationship, having met several times since January 2024.

Although specific details of their latest meeting were not disclosed, discussions are believed to have covered SK's ongoing efforts to collaborate with OpenAI on expanding the AI semiconductor ecosystem and boosting AI infrastructure.

The meeting may have also covered updates on SK hynix Co.'s high-bandwidth memory (HBM) supply and SK Telecom's AI data center initiatives.

Chey also reportedly extended a personal invitation to Altman to attend the upcoming APEC CEO Summit, which will be held in October in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. (Yonhap)