Mukesh Ambani, chair of India's Reliance Group and known as the "richest person in Asia," will visit Korea for 2 Days & 1 Night starting on the 25th and tour Samsung Electronics' Suwon campus. The two sides are said to discuss the possibility of expanding technological cooperation on 5G and 6G Network equipment and AI data centers.
According to the business community on the 19th, Chair Ambani and his eldest son Akash Ambani, chair of the Reliance Jio Infocomm board, are scheduled to tour the Suwon campus with Samsung Electronics Chair Lee Jae-yong on the first day of their visit to Korea. Samsung Electronics plans to present its 5G Network equipment production line and the current status of 6G research and development. They will then have dinner with Lee in Seoul, and the head of Samsung Electronics' Networks Business is also expected to attend.
Reliance Group is a corporations in India that has continued large-scale investment in telecom infrastructure, and its subsidiary Jio is an ultra-large carrier with 500 million subscribers. As the Indian government restricts the use of equipment from China's Huawei, Samsung Electronics is again being mentioned, alongside Ericsson and Nokia, as a potential key supplier in Jio's 5G transition. Lee attended the wedding of Ambani's child last year, among other interactions, maintaining a friendly relationship.
Reliance Group is building a 3 GW-class AI data center in India's Gujarat state and has unveiled additional plans for large-scale data centers. Because data center expansion leads to demand for ultra-fast, high-capacity communications technologies, observers say this could create opportunities for Samsung Electronics to supply 5G and 6G Network equipment. As the importance of communications for AI data centers stands out in the global market, competition among major equipment makers is intensifying.
Samsung Electronics is also accelerating development of AI-based network technologies. Last year, it validated 5G-based intelligent base station (AI-RAN) technology with Nvidia, and it is conducting joint 6G research with several global carriers and equipment makers. The business community is watching whether Ambani's visit to Korea will lead to new business opportunities for Samsung Electronics' Networks Business.
Chair Lee Jae-yong has recently expanded his network by holding a series of meetings with executives at major global corporations. As talks on cooperation with Nvidia, Tesla and Meta continue and touchpoints with India's Reliance Group expand, some say Samsung Electronics' telecommunications and AI business in India could gain further momentum.