OpenAI Expands Global Reach With Strategic Deal in South Korea

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has secured a significant partnership with South Korean technology leader Kakao, marking a strategic move to strengthen global alliances in the wake of rising competition from Chinese AI company DeepSeek.

Kakao, known for its online banking services, leading taxi-hailing app, and popular messaging platform, announced on Tuesday its collaboration with OpenAI. This partnership will integrate ChatGPT into Kakao’s upcoming AI-driven services, reinforcing OpenAI’s global expansion amid escalating industry competition.

OpenAI’s initiatives are part of a broader effort to boost AI infrastructure, with plans to invest up to $500 billion in the United States under the Stargate program.

Meanwhile, DeepSeek’s rapid emergence has stirred concern within Silicon Valley due to its impressive performance and cost efficiency, challenging established AI developers in the U.S.

Expressing enthusiasm about the collaboration, Altman stated from Seoul, “We’re excited to enhance Kakao’s user experiences by integrating advanced AI technologies that redefine communication and connectivity.” Kakao’s CEO also highlighted the partnership as a pivotal strategic alliance.

Altman’s South Korean visit also includes meetings with top semiconductor manufacturers Samsung and SK hynix, focusing on potential cooperation in developing AI memory chips, including high-bandwidth memory (HBM), to support advanced AI services.

DeepSeek’s technological strides have raised suspicions of reverse engineering U.S. AI models, leading OpenAI to tighten collaborations with U.S. authorities to safeguard intellectual property. OpenAI has voiced concerns over the replication of its AI models through techniques like distillation, where smaller models mimic the behavior of more advanced systems.

Adding to these challenges, OpenAI is also confronting allegations related to the use of copyrighted content in training its AI models, further intensifying the global debate on AI ethics and intellectual property rights.