OpenAI mulls data center construction in Korea

OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of OpenAI Korea

OpenAI hinted at the possibility of building a data center in Korea and expanding its cooperation with major conglomerates such as Samsung and SK, pledging to support the government's efforts to achieve sovereignty in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry.

The ChatGPT generative AI chatbot developer mentioned these plans on Wednesday, when it announced the official launch of its Korean office — the company's third in Asia and 12th globally.

At a press conference in Seoul, OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Jason Kwon said his company is open to exploring partnerships with Korea regarding data center construction.

"When it comes to the hardware chip side, I think we have a lot of good partnerships in motion with companies like SK and Samsung," he said. Kwon met with Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won last month at the Korea-United States Business Roundtable in Washington, which followed the summit between the leaders of both countries.

Still, the CSO did not elaborate on the size or timing of OpenAI's investment in Korea.

Leadership and staffing details for OpenAI Korea have not yet been disclosed.

"While we don't have anything to share today with regard to our Korean office leadership, we expect to have updates very soon," Kwon said.

Given OpenAI's plan to collaborate with Korean companies, academia and government to accelerate the country's AI transformation, he also dismissed concerns that the Lee Jae Myung administration's promotion of sovereign AI could negatively affect the U.S. firm's Korean operations.

"Koreans have had a history of partnering with lots of other industries, and that has contributed to Korea's success over the long term," Kwon said. "It's not a country that just makes products for itself. It's a country that works together with other companies and partners to build those products and export them throughout the entire world."

He emphasized that OpenAI has already joined hands with Korean companies in various sectors ranging from construction to electronics, telecommunications, finance and e-commerce. In February, the company entered a strategic partnership with Kakao to enable ChatGPT use within the Korean firm's mobile messenger app.

On Thursday, OpenAI will sign a memorandum of understanding with Seoul National University for conducting joint AI research. The company will also invite government officials, business leaders, scholars and artists to celebrate the launch of OpenAI Korea the same day.

"Korea has long been recognized as a global technology powerhouse," Kwon said. "The country's unique combination of cutting-edge infrastructure, innovative companies and early adopters makes it an ideal hub for AI innovation."