Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have signed a letter of intent (LOI) with OpenAI to supply memory chips to the generative AI company.

Separately, in a statement announcing the partnership, SK Hynix said its SK Telecom unit had also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with OpenAI to develop an AI data center in the southwest region of South Korea, as part of the Stargate project.

The announcement follows a meeting between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, and the chairmen of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in the South Korean capital, Seoul.

According to the two companies, Stargate’s memory demand is projected to reach 900,000 DRAM wafers a month, although no timeline was given for when that demand was expected to be met.

Regarding the newly announced 'Stargate Korea' data center, SK Group said it would be "leveraging its solid experience in data center construction and operation," to "jointly develop next-generation computing and data center solutions." The two companies will also explore various AI service use cases for consumers and enterprises, SK Group said in its statement.

While it is unclear if Samsung will also be directly involved with the Stargate Korea facility, the company said in its own statement that it would be partnering with the Stargate initiative across data centers, shipbuilding, cloud services, and maritime technologies via its Samsung C&T (Construction and Trading) and Samsung Heavy Industries units.

This will include collaborating with OpenAI on the design, development, and operation of the Stargate data centers, while also offering consulting, deployment, and management services for businesses seeking to integrate OpenAI’s AI models into their internal systems.

A particular focus of this collaboration will be the joint development of floating data centers, Samsung said, claiming such facilities have advantages over traditional data centers because they can address challenges related to land scarcity, cooling costs, and carbon emissions. The two companies will also explore opportunities for floating power plants and control centers, the statement said.

Stargate was launched by OpenAI in January, in partnership with SoftBank, Oracle, and Abu Dhabi's MGX. At the time, it claimed it would invest $500 billion in digital infrastructure over the next four years to serve OpenAI's compute needs.

Crusoe, Oracle, and OpenAI have yet to confirm that the entire campus will go to OpenAI's Stargate, but the company is widely expected to take most - if not all - of the expansion, which is slated for completion in mid-2026.

Last week, OpenAI announced five more US Stargate data centers, including in Shackelford County, Texas; Doña Ana County, New Mexico; and an unnamed site in the Midwest.