ChipsAltman meets SK's Chey and Samsung executives on a two-day Korea trip; SK hynix says HBM is 'effectively sold out through 2029'

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman arrived in Korea on the night of Oct. 30 and met SK and Samsung in turn. He had lunch with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won on Oct. 30 and spoke to about 50 Samsung affiliate executives at Samsung's Yongin training center on Oct. 31. Neither side confirmed any new investment or memory pricing deal.

TrendForce expects average HBM selling prices to rise 121% next year. Samsung says its HBM supply for next year is already sold, and SK hynix says its output is effectively sold out through 2029, counting long-term contracts and deals under negotiation. OpenAI agreed with Samsung and SK last October to cooperate on the Stargate AI infrastructure project.