🔍 Read the full analysis: Altman Calls PC Memory “Quite Terrible” Before Samsung Talks on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
Samsung confirmed that about 50 senior executives met OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in Yongin on October 31, but disclosed no new memory-supply agreement. The meeting came two days after Altman argued on a podcast that scarce memory is often underused in personal computers; the remark has renewed attention on how AI data centers and consumer devices compete for memory.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met about 50 Samsung executives in Yongin, South Korea, on October 31, two days after describing the allocation of scarce computer memory as “quite terrible” when much of it sits idle in personal computers. Samsung confirmed the meeting and said it focused on AI’s future and business leadership; neither company announced a new memory-supply deal.
Samsung said the attendees included presidents and senior executives from its electronics, finance and biotechnology affiliates. The meeting took place at the company’s Human Resources Development Center in Yongin under the theme “The Next 10 Years Shaped by AI: The Enterprise’s Choice.” Samsung described it as part of a leadership program and said participants discussed AI’s direction, its effect on management decisions and potential new markets. Its account did not identify a supply agreement or provide details of commercial negotiations.
Bloomberg reported that the visit was intended to deepen cooperation on memory chips and AI infrastructure as shortages intensify. The Seoul Economic Daily reported that Richard Ho, the OpenAI vice president leading the company’s in-house chip work, traveled with Altman, and that OpenAI’s planned accelerator could use Samsung’s next-generation HBM4 memory. Those details have not been confirmed by OpenAI or Samsung. Samsung did not publish a full attendee list, and no contract terms, quantities or prices were disclosed.
Altman’s October 29 remarks came on Stripe co-founder John Collison’s podcast, Cheeky Pint. Asked why high prices had not yet brought more memory supply, Altman said “the invisible hand is failing right now” and called it “quite terrible,” from a global allocation perspective, that so much memory was in personal computers and being used “5% of the time.” The 5% figure was Altman’s estimate, not a reported measurement. His point was that pooled memory in data centers might be used more intensively; he was discussing resource allocation, not saying personal computers perform poorly.
Infographic 01 · Confirmed, reported, not announced
What we actually know about Altman’s Samsung meeting
Samsung confirmed the meeting and framed it as AI leadership training. The memory angle comes from reporting. No deal was announced.
- Meeting with about 50 presidents and executivesConfirmed by Samsung
Electronics, finance and biotech affiliates; Samsung Human Resources Development Center. Theme: “The Next 10 Years Shaped by AI: The Enterprise’s Choice”.
- Altman: the edge comes from how you use AI, not from adopting itConfirmed by Samsung
As relayed by Samsung via Yonhap; quoted similarly by the Seoul Economic Daily.
- Aim: deeper cooperation on memory chips and AI infrastructureReported
Bloomberg, “as global shortages intensify”.
- OpenAI’s chip-hardware chief traveled along; HBM4 linkOne outlet
Seoul Economic Daily, citing industry sources. Not confirmed by either company.
- SK chairman Chey Tae-won met Altman the same dayOne outlet
Yonhap, citing industry sources. Content not disclosed.
- Volumes, prices, a new contractNot announced
Nothing announced. No statement from OpenAI on the visit.
How Samsung and OpenAI got here
- 1 Oct 2025Letter of intent: memory for Stargate, data centers, floating data centersSamsung and OpenAI announcement
- Jun 2026Samsung rolls out ChatGPT Enterprise and Codex to employeesOpenAI, as reported by the Korea Herald
- Jul 2026Samsung chairman Lee Jae-yong visits OpenAI in San FranciscoKorea Herald
- 29 Oct 2026Samsung’s record quarter; Altman’s “quite terrible” DRAM remarkSamsung results · Cheeky Pint podcast
- 31 Oct 2026Altman meets about 50 Samsung executives in YonginSamsung via Yonhap · Bloomberg
“Confirmed by Samsung” means Samsung’s own account, as relayed by Yonhap and the Korea Herald. A letter of intent is a statement of plans, not a purchase order.
Sources: Samsung via Yonhap, 31 Oct 2026, Korea Herald, 31 Oct 2026, Bloomberg via The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2026, Seoul Economic Daily, 1 Nov 2026, Samsung and OpenAI letter of intent, 1 Oct 2025.
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AI Demand Meets Device Memory
The meeting puts a supply question at the center of the AI buildout: how much memory should go to data centers, and how much remains available for PCs and other devices? OpenAI is expanding its AI infrastructure, while Samsung is a major memory producer. Any deeper supply relationship could affect how much capacity is directed to large-scale AI systems, although the Yongin meeting itself does not establish that such a deal was reached.
The issue also matters to consumers and businesses through potential costs and product choices. The source reports that TrendForce expects conventional DRAM contract prices to rise 10% to 15% in the fourth quarter of 2026, and warns PC memory supply could decline in 2027 as more capacity shifts toward servers. Those are forecasts, not guarantees. If supply tightens, manufacturers could face higher component costs or choose lower memory and storage configurations in mainstream devices. The source frames a further possibility: some AI workloads may be cheaper to rent through cloud services than to run on locally purchased hardware. That is an interpretation of the market direction, not a confirmed outcome of Altman’s meeting.
Samsung’s own financial results underline the company’s exposure to memory demand. In the third quarter, its chip division generated 106.5 trillion won of 107.4 trillion won in operating profit, according to the source. Samsung’s phone and network business recorded an operating loss of 0.6 trillion won, partly attributed to cost pressures. These figures show the contrasting stakes inside the company, but do not establish that the Yongin discussion will change its production plans.
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A Relationship Built Since 2025
The Yongin meeting followed earlier contact between the companies. In October 2025, OpenAI and four Samsung companies signed a letter of intent. Samsung said OpenAI’s projected demand could reach “up to 900,000 DRAM wafers per month.” That wording describes a projection in the letter of intent, not an announced purchase or a delivery commitment.
OpenAI said in June 2026 that Samsung Electronics would roll out ChatGPT Enterprise and Codex to employees in Korea and its global device division. In July, Samsung executive chairman Lee Jae-yong visited OpenAI in San Francisco, according to the Korea Herald. The latest meeting therefore comes amid an established business relationship, but the source material does not show that the companies have converted the earlier memorandum into a new memory contract.
Altman also met SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won in Seoul on October 31, alongside executives from SK hynix, another major Korean memory producer. Yonhap reported the meeting, citing industry sources; what they discussed was not disclosed. South Korea’s major chipmakers are drawing attention from AI companies seeking supplies, but visits and talks alone do not reveal allocations or future production.
“From a global allocation perspective, it’s quite terrible that so much of the world’s limited memory sits in people’s own computers, being used 5% of the time.”
— Sam Altman, on the Cheeky Pint podcast, October 29
No Supply Terms Disclosed
The companies have not announced whether the October 31 meeting produced any commercial agreement. Supply volumes, prices, delivery timing and product allocations remain undisclosed. Samsung’s confirmed description centers on AI strategy and leadership; Bloomberg’s account of deeper memory cooperation is reporting about the visit’s purpose, not evidence of a signed contract.
The reported participation of OpenAI chip chief Richard Ho and the possibility that an OpenAI accelerator could use Samsung HBM4 are also unconfirmed by the companies. It is not clear whether Samsung will supply memory for a particular OpenAI system, how much capacity any arrangement might involve, or whether a future deal would affect supply for consumer devices. Altman’s 5% estimate has no measurement method or underlying data specified in the source material. Price and supply forecasts cited here may also change as producers adjust output and demand develops.
Watch for Supply Announcements
The next concrete signal would be a public announcement from OpenAI or Samsung setting out a supply agreement, product relationship or investment, with terms such as volumes and timing. Until then, the meeting confirms high-level contact but does not show that memory has been committed to OpenAI.
Companies buying PCs and servers will also be watching for updated supplier pricing and availability. The reported forecast of higher conventional DRAM contract prices in the fourth quarter and tighter PC memory supply in 2027 is a market outlook, not a final account of what manufacturers will ship. Any effect on device specifications or retail prices should become clearer through supplier updates and product announcements. For now, the central question remains whether AI infrastructure demand will redirect enough memory capacity to change the cost or configuration of devices.
Key Questions
What happened at Samsung’s meeting with Sam Altman?
Samsung confirmed that about 50 senior executives from its electronics, finance and biotechnology affiliates met Altman in Yongin on October 31. Samsung said they discussed AI’s direction and its implications for business leadership. No new memory-supply deal was announced.
What did Altman mean by calling PC memory “quite terrible”?
He was criticizing how memory is allocated, saying much of it in personal computers is idle while data centers could pool resources and use them more intensively. He was not calling PCs themselves terrible. His claim that memory is used “5% of the time” was an estimate, not a cited measurement.
Did Samsung agree to supply OpenAI with memory?
No new agreement was publicly announced at the meeting. The companies had signed a letter of intent in October 2025, but the source material does not establish a new contract, confirmed order, delivery schedule or price.
Could the memory squeeze raise PC prices?
It could add cost pressure, but the effect is not confirmed. The source cites a TrendForce forecast for conventional DRAM contract-price increases of 10% to 15% in the fourth quarter of 2026 and a possible decline in PC memory supply in 2027. Those forecasts do not by themselves determine retail prices or device configurations.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
