TLDRs;
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is seeking chip and funding partners across Asia and the Middle East.
- Talks with TSMC, Foxconn, Samsung, and SK Hynix focus on scaling AI chip production.
- Samsung and SK Hynix signed preliminary deals to supply OpenAI’s future data centers.
- OpenAI spending on compute may hit $400B by 2029, signaling an unprecedented AI infrastructure boom.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has launched an aggressive global campaign to secure the computing power required for the next phase of artificial intelligence development.
According to reports from reliable sources, Altman has been touring East Asia and the Middle East since late September, seeking both manufacturing and financial partners to back OpenAI’s expanding infrastructure needs.
The push comes amid surging demand for high-performance chips that power large language models such as ChatGPT.
OpenAI’s ambitions have outgrown existing supply chains, prompting Altman to court semiconductor giants and sovereign investors alike. His goal is to ensure OpenAI has a steady supply of AI-specific hardware and the capital to fund massive data center projects globally.
Talks with Asia’s Chipmaking Titans
Altman’s itinerary reportedly included meetings with top executives from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Foxconn, Samsung Electronics, and SK Hynix. These discussions centered around ramping up chip production capacity and securing priority supply allocations for OpenAI’s needs.
Samsung and SK Hynix, both key suppliers of memory chips, have already signed letters of intent to provide hardware for OpenAI’s future data centers. Foxconn, best known for assembling Apple devices, is also exploring deeper participation in AI hardware production.
Funding Drive Heads to the Middle East
Beyond manufacturing partnerships, Altman’s next stop is reportedly the United Arab Emirates, where he plans to meet with investors and sovereign wealth funds to raise funds for OpenAI’s infrastructure and research expansion. The Middle East has recently emerged as a key player in global AI investment, with Abu Dhabi’s MGX already participating in OpenAI’s latest funding round.
Earlier this week, OpenAI completed a $6.6 billion secondary share sale, valuing the company at $500 billion, making it the most valuable startup in the world, surpassing SpaceX. Investors in that deal included Thrive Capital, SoftBank, Dragoneer, T. Rowe Price, and MGX.
The new funding pursuit suggests OpenAI’s appetite for capital remains strong, even after securing massive valuation milestones.
$400 Billion Compute Ambition
According to internal figures shared with investors, OpenAI expects to spend around $16 billion in 2025 on server rentals alone, a figure that could soar to $400 billion by 2029.
Such projections highlight the extraordinary costs of maintaining and scaling the infrastructure required to power cutting-edge AI models.
This exponential growth trajectory reflects both the company’s confidence in AI’s future and its recognition of the competitive landscape. Tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Meta are all racing to secure advanced chips from NVIDIA and other manufacturers, making access to compute power a defining factor in the AI arms race.
