Samsung and SK have officially joined the 'Stargate Project,' a venture to build artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in collaboration with the U.S. company OpenAI. The project involves OpenAI, Oracle from the U.S., and Japan's SoftBank, investing $500 billion (approximately KRW 702 trillion) by 2029 to establish mega data centers in the U.S. It was announced as a key project by U.S. President Donald Trump shortly after his inauguration in January. With major Korean companies participating as key partners, expectations are rising for a strengthened Korea-U.S. 'AI alliance.'

On the 1st, the two companies signed a letter of intent (LOI) for mutual cooperation and semiconductor supply with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, who visited Korea. They agreed to supply memory semiconductors, including high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which is crucial for AI infrastructure. The demand for HBM alone requires 900,000 wafers per month, exceeding twice the current global HBM production. This creates new demand worth KRW 100 trillion by simple calculation. Samsung and SK also plan to strengthen their cooperation with OpenAI by building dedicated AI data centers in Pohang, Gyeongbuk, and the southwest region.

The challenge lies in establishing a production system capable of timely response to semiconductor supply requests, which requires substantial investment. To address this, there are calls to lift the separation of banking and commerce regulations that have restricted corporate financing for the past 43 years. On the 1st, President Lee Jae-myung also stated that for AI investment, "The current separation of banking and commerce regulations can be reconsidered within a range where monopolistic harm does not occur and safety measures are in place."

In the 'big blur' era, where the boundaries between industries have become blurred due to advancements in information technology (IT), the separation of banking and commerce has become an outdated regulation. There is no such regulation in Japan and the European Union (EU), and in the U.S., holding companies can own financial firms excluding banks. Lifting the separation could allow companies with foresight in advanced industry investment to form funds and attract domestic financial and global capital.

Recently, the world's largest asset manager, BlackRock, promised the Korean government to invest in Korea's AI industry, and with the collaboration with OpenAI, the atmosphere is ripe for Korea to become an 'AI hub in the Asia-Pacific region' and one of the 'top three AI powers.' To accelerate research and development (R&D), infrastructure development, and talent acquisition, it is essential to secure the necessary funds at the right time without disruption. To achieve this, the outdated barrier of the separation of banking and commerce, which artificially blocks the flow of money, must be dismantled.

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