Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) Chairman Jay Y. Lee visited the company's robotics operations on the 27th, the fourth anniversary of his appointment as chairman. Instead of holding a commemorative event, he inspected robot technologies that Samsung is building into a future growth engine. Analysts said Lee, who has focused on restoring the company's competitiveness in semiconductors, is now widening the growth agenda to robotics and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Lee visited the Umyeon research and development campus to review the status of robot development, Samsung Electronics said on the 27th. The campus is the base of the Robotics Experience business unit launched in July. The unit reports directly to Roh Tae-moon, head of the Device eXperience division, and oversees robot technology development and commercialization.
Lee reviewed humanoid robot prototypes and related technologies being developed by the RX unit, according to the company. He paid particular attention to precision manipulation technology for robotic hands, which is needed to pick up objects and handle tools. Samsung Electronics is conducting advance development of robotic hands in a range of designs, from grippers that grasp objects like pincers to models with five fingers on each of two hands.
Lee has shown sustained interest in the robotics business. In November 2020, when he was vice chairman, he visited the same Umyeon campus to inspect robot prototypes designed for health care, serving and delivery. At a public briefing on the group's three mega projects in June, he said robot demand is expected to grow sharply "not only at industrial sites such as factories but throughout society, including homes, restaurants, hospitals and nursing facilities," and pledged a significant increase in robot investment.
Samsung Electronics brought robot specialist Rainbow Robotics in as a subsidiary and then created the RX business unit this year while expanding its specialist workforce. The company aims to unveil its in-house developed humanoid to a global audience at CES in Las Vegas in early January.
The robotics business is also tied to manufacturing innovation. Samsung Electronics plans to convert its production facilities at home and abroad into "AI autonomous factories" by 2030. Under the plan, AI would manage production and quality while robots handle tasks such as material transport and assembly to raise productivity. The company will also build a "data factory" at its Gumi plant to gather robot training data.
Lee's fourth anniversary coincides with a period in which Samsung Electronics posted record earnings on a semiconductor boom. Preliminary third-quarter operating profit came to 107.4 trillion won, roughly 10 times the 10.852 trillion won recorded in the third quarter of 2022, when he took the post.
Lee also attended to future businesses on the 21st at the construction site of the Al Dhafra gas-fired power plant in the United Arab Emirates. He discussed plans to expand AI data center and energy infrastructure projects with executives of Samsung C&T (028260.KS) and Samsung E&A (028050.KS). Translating the gains made in semiconductors into robotics and AI infrastructure is seen as Samsung's next task.