Oct 4 (Reuters) - OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has embarked on

a global fundraising initiative spanning East Asia and the

Middle East, seeking financing and manufacturing partners to

meet the company's demand for its computing capacity, the Wall

Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing sources familiar

with the meetings.

Altman has held discussions since late September in Taiwan,

South Korea, and Japan with major suppliers such as Taiwan

Semiconductor Manufacturing ( TSM ), Foxconn, Samsung

, and SK Hynix ( HXSCF ) to boost AI chip

production and secure top-priority orders for OpenAI, the Wall

Street Journal said.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.