OpenAI has entered into two major alliances in Asia, partnering with South Korea’s Kakao and Japan’s SoftBank to enhance AI technology in the region. CEO Sam Altman also discussed potential collaborations in India and the growth of AI infrastructure in South Korea.
In a significant expansion of its global reach, OpenAI has announced strategic partnerships with two major Asian companies — South Korea’s Kakao and Japan’s SoftBank.
On Tuesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman unveiled a collaboration with Kakao, the South Korean messaging giant, marking a key development in the company’s efforts to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into a variety of products. Kakao, which operates the popular KakaoTalk app with a 97% market share in South Korea, has expanded into areas such as e-commerce, gaming, and payments. Despite being a dominant player in many sectors, Kakao has lagged behind its local rival Naver in the AI race, but with this partnership, it plans to leverage OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology to fuel its growth.
Altman, who is currently on a whirlwind tour across Asia, also formed an alliance with Japan’s SoftBank Group. The CEO shared insights into OpenAI’s vision of AI integration into messaging, which was a key topic during his press conference with Kakao CEO Chung Shina in Seoul. “We are particularly interested in AI and messaging,” Altman noted.
Kakao plans to incorporate OpenAI’s technology into its various services, and Altman also mentioned that South Korean companies would play an important role in the Stargate data centre project, a collaboration between OpenAI and Oracle to build AI capacity in the U.S. Though Altman kept specific details under wraps, he hinted at the role South Korea’s tech sector would play in this venture.
Altman’s visit to Asia continues to build momentum for AI development. On Monday, OpenAI’s alliance with SoftBank was announced, and on Wednesday, Altman is scheduled to visit India to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, underscoring the growing importance of Asian markets for OpenAI’s future strategies.
South Korean conglomerates, such as SK Group and Samsung, were also on Altman’s radar during his visit. He held meetings with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and is expected to meet Samsung Chairman Jay Y. Lee later. This collaboration could involve integrating high bandwidth memory chips — produced by SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics — into OpenAI’s AI processors.
In light of the growing demand for AI products, South Korea’s government is also building a national AI computing centre, a project that Altman is “actively considering” investing in. This further strengthens OpenAI’s commitment to the region, with South Korea’s energy, semiconductor, and internet companies poised to play a key role in the future of AI infrastructure.
Shares of Kakao surged by 9% on Monday, and while the stock rose by 0.2% on Tuesday, investors continue to react positively to the partnership, signaling strong confidence in the AI-focused future.
