OpenAI Signals Enterprise Shift With AI Data Centres

OpenAI signals a strategic shift from consumer services to enterprise adoption, revealing several partnerships that place telecommunications and infrastructure providers at the heart of its expansion.

At its 2025 DevDay conference, OpenAI announces collaborations focused on application integrations, product development and major infrastructure deals, including a partnership with SK Telecom to develop AI data centre capacity in Korea.

The moves come as OpenAI seeks to offset annual losses reported to be as high as US$8bn.

At a press conference, CEO Sam Altman confirms OpenAI’s new direction.

“You should expect a huge focus from us on really leaning into enterprise,” he says.

SK Telecom and Samsung to build AI data centres

As part of its global Stargate initiative, OpenAI forges strategic partnerships with Samsung and SK Group to support its infrastructure needs.

The collaboration involves SK Telecom, a major Korean telco, exploring the construction of a new AI data centre in the country.

Further agreements with Samsung C&T, Samsung Heavy Industries and Samsung SDS will assess opportunities for additional data centre capacity.

Samsung SDS signed a letter of intent for a potential partnership to jointly develop AI data centres and provide enterprise AI services, positioning it to offer consulting, deployment and management for businesses integrating OpenAI’s models.

Samsung SDS also becomes a reseller for OpenAI’s services in Korea.

To fuel these data centres, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix will increase the production of advanced memory chips, aiming for 900,000 DRAM wafer starts per month.

The agreements follow a meeting between Korean President Lee Jae-myung, Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y Lee, SK Chairman Chey Tae-won and Sam.

“Korea has all the ingredients to be a global leader in AI – incredible tech talent, world-class infrastructure, strong government support and a thriving AI ecosystem,” Sam says.

“We’re excited to work with Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and the Ministry of Science and ICT through our global Stargate initiative to support Korea’s AI ambitions.”

Enterprise applications to increase network demand

Alongside infrastructure, OpenAI is fostering an ecosystem of applications that integrate with its core technology, a move that could create substantial data traffic over partner networks.

OpenAI releases a preview of its Apps SDK, allowing partners to plug directly into ChatGPT. Initial launch partners include Booking.com, Canva, Spotify and Zillow, with DoorDash, Instacart and Uber expected later this year.

These integrations allow users to perform tasks in third-party services directly from the chat interface, such as asking Spotify to create a playlist.

Nick Turley, Head of ChatGPT at OpenAI, tells the conference that users will see ChatGPT evolve “from an app that is really, really useful into something that feels a little bit more like an operating system” over the next six months.

This deeper integration of services directly into the AI model suggests a future of increased and more complex data consumption patterns for telcos to manage.

AI models mature for business use

Sam tells journalists that the enterprise push was timed with the maturation of OpenAI's AI models.

“We needed to let the models get better. The models are there now,” he explains.

The readiness comes as OpenAI’s usage and revenues continue to grow. OpenAI now has more than 800 million weekly ChatGPT users and is reportedly on track to generate US$13bn in revenue in 2025.

Despite its high valuation, profitability remains a future goal. Sam says at the conference that profitability is “not in my top 10 concerns, but we obviously someday have to be very profitable.”