Altman meets Samsung leaders as memory shortage is forecast to persist
The talks come as chip makers warn that DRAM supply could stay short of demand into 2028.
OpenAI chief Sam Altman reportedly met roughly 50 senior Samsung executives at the company's Yongin campus in South Korea, a visit aimed at expanding AI capacity and memory supply. Samsung framed the discussion around AI development and new business prospects rather than a fresh memory supply deal, though it referenced an existing letter of intent covering memory chips for OpenAI's Stargate project. The meeting lands amid a memory crunch: AMD projects DRAM revenue rising 177% in 2026, TrendForce expects DRAM supply to trail demand by 1% to 2% this year with the gap widening in 2027, and Micron warns the shortage could last into 2028. Samsung and SK Hynix together hold about 63% of global DRAM revenue and roughly 83% of HBM revenue, which explains why other chip buyers are courting them. Altman's recent remarks that PC memory is underused have drawn criticism given OpenAI's reliance on centralized infrastructure.
Why it matters
The shortage is expected to fall hardest on buyers who depend on a few suppliers, since Samsung and SK Hynix hold most of the market. Demand from AI infrastructure is pushing memory prices and forecast revenue up sharply, and the gap between supply and demand is projected to widen rather than close in 2027. For readers following the sector, the meeting signals that the largest AI developers are competing directly with other buyers for scarce memory capacity.
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