Seoul, July 28 -- OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman has expressed his desire to use South Korea as a testbed for the artificial intelligence firm's first hardware device, according to a news report by The Korea Herald citing South Korea's presidential office.

The development follows a meeting between Altman and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in San Francisco to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly on next-generation artificial intelligence hardware.

Senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Altman "expressed expectations for using Korea as a testbed" for the device, which is due in the first quarter of next year, and signaled a willingness to broaden the partnership.

The announcement represents a...