Artificial Intelligence (AI)

OpenAI Partners with Kakao After SoftBank Japan JV

Ken Metral

Ken Metral

— 2 min read
OpenAI Partners with Kakao After SoftBank Japan JV
Credit: Kakao Corporation

OpenAI is making bold moves in Asia, securing major deals with tech giants in South Korea and Japan as it aims to strengthen its presence in the region. This expansion comes on the heels of Chinese AI company DeepSeek making waves in the generative AI space, signaling increased global competition.

OpenAI’s Strategic Partnership with Kakao

OpenAI has partnered with South Korea’s Kakao, the company behind the widely used messaging app KakaoTalk. Announced in Seoul by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Kakao CEO Shina Chung, this collaboration includes three key initiatives:

  1. Kanana, a Korean-Language AI Assistant – Kakao will develop a native AI-powered assistant leveraging OpenAI’s models.
  2. Integration of OpenAI into KakaoTalk – ChatGPT-powered AI features will enhance the messaging platform.
  3. ChatGPT Enterprise for Kakao Employees – OpenAI’s enterprise solutions will be implemented internally at Kakao.

Altman praised Korea’s AI adoption, emphasizing its rapidly growing market and innovation-friendly environment. Beyond business expansion, this partnership will provide OpenAI with extensive Korean-language data, strengthening its language models.

SoftBank’s $3 Billion Bet on OpenAI

Just a day before the Kakao deal, Japan’s SoftBank committed $3 billion annually to OpenAI’s solutions. The partnership includes:

  • The creation of SB OpenAI Japan, a joint venture offering OpenAI’s enterprise products to Japanese companies.
  • The use of ChatGPT Enterprise, OpenAI’s API, and AI-powered agents like Operator across SoftBank’s businesses.
  • AI integration into Arm, SoftBank’s chip design subsidiary, to boost productivity.

SoftBank is also in talks to lead a $40 billion funding round for OpenAI, potentially valuing the AI leader at $300 billion. Furthermore, OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle are collaborating on Stargate, a $100 billion AI data center project in Texas, with the potential to scale to $500 billion.

A Global AI Battle: OpenAI vs. DeepSeek

These Asian partnerships are strategically significant as OpenAI faces rising competition from DeepSeek, a Chinese AI firm making strides in generative AI. If DeepSeek sustains its momentum, it could become a major player, challenging OpenAI’s dominance in the English-language AI market.

For OpenAI, expansion beyond English is critical. By securing deals in South Korea and Japan, OpenAI gains access to valuable linguistic data and diverse user behaviors, reinforcing its AI models for global applications.

The Bigger Picture

OpenAI isn’t stopping with Kakao and SoftBank. Altman has also met with executives from Samsung and SK Hynix to explore AI chip development. With global tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta racing to build their own AI infrastructure, OpenAI is ensuring it remains competitive.

As AI competition intensifies, OpenAI’s aggressive expansion into Asia signals its intent to dominate not just in English, but across multiple languages and markets. The next phase of AI isn’t just about technology—it’s about global influence, and OpenAI is making sure it stays ahead.

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