OpenAI's Altman seeks funds for infrastructure expansion on Asia, Middle East tour, WSJ reports

Group 1 - OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is initiating a global fundraising effort in East Asia and the Middle East to secure financing and manufacturing partners for the company's computing capacity needs [1][3] - Discussions have been held with major suppliers like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Foxconn, Samsung, and SK Hynix to enhance AI chip production and prioritize OpenAI's orders [2][3] - OpenAI plans to spend approximately $16 billion on renting computing servers this year, with projections indicating this expenditure could escalate to around $400 billion by 2029 [4] Group 2 - Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have signed letters of intent to supply memory chips for OpenAI's data centers [3] - Altman is also scheduled to meet with investors in the United Arab Emirates to raise funds for OpenAI's infrastructure expansion and research initiatives [3]