In its 2026 regular executive appointments, Samsung Electronics selected a large number of technical talent to take the lead in stabilizing Production yield in core semiconductor processes and securing mass-production competitiveness. With issues over Production yield and mass-production stability piling up in the foundry and memory businesses, the company appears to be fully deploying key leaders in defect analysis, advanced processes, and new device development to lay the groundwork for restoring semiconductor competitiveness.
In the foundry division, what stands out is the selection of core technical talent to improve Production yield. Samsung's foundry has been assessed as having its competitiveness shaken due to delays in securing Production yield for the 2- and 3-nanometer (1 nanometer is one-billionth of a meter) processes. A representative example is that the mobile application processor (AP) "Exynos 2500" failed to secure a 3-nanometer Production yield and was dropped from Galaxy flagship products. Performance was weak, with some major customers transferring production volumes to TSMC.
However, industry analysis says the company has recently entered a recovery phase as process stabilization and new customer acquisition proceed in tandem. The pace of Production yield improvement has accelerated since 4-nanometer, initial Production yield progress is being observed at 2-nanometer, and rebound signals are being detected as new orders from big tech and AI fabless companies such as Tesla continue.
Reflecting this trend, technical leaders needed for Production yield improvement made the promotion list.
Vice President Kim Yeong-dae (head of the foundry division's Product Technology Team) was promoted as an evaluation and analysis expert who advanced wafer characteristic analysis and defect verification systems to support securing Production yield and performance in 2- and 3-nanometer leading-edge processes. Vice President Jeong Yong-deok (head of the Global Manufacturing & Infrastructure MI Technology Team) was likewise recognized for integrating metrology and defect inspection capabilities across all DRAM, flash, and logic products to enhance mass-production stability.
In the memory division as well, a large number of figures who achieved "Production yield and reliability improvements" across HBM, DRAM, and NAND were selected. The memory division yielded the No. 1 spot in global DRAM market share in the fourth quarter of last year to SK hynix, which is leading the HBM market.
In response, Samsung Electronics is accelerating development of next-generation HBM4 following mass production of HBM3E. The company is focusing on securing Production yield by producing HBM4 samples in lots of 10,000 wafers, and key personnel in this field were brought to the fore in these appointments.
Vice President Hong Hui-il (head of the memory division's DRAM PE Team) is a figure who boosted product completeness by optimizing operation and screening defects for major DRAM products such as HBM3E, HBM4, DDR5, and LPDDR5x. Executive Director Yu Ho-in and Vice President Lee Byeong-hyeon (DRAM PA2 Group) led securing Production yield and manufacturability and controlling chronic defects during development of D1c DRAM and HBM4. In NAND, Vice President Noh Gyeong-yun (head of the Flash PA1 Group) led the introduction of new processes to improve cell reliability and enhance manufacturability, contributing to strengthening competitiveness in next-generation V-NAND.
Promotions also continued in materials and packaging to foster next-generation technology leaders. Fellow Lee Jae-deok (Flash TD Team) led development of new materials for high-performance V-NAND, and Master Kang Myeong-gil (Logic TD1 Group) led research on new logic devices such as GAA and FinFET. Master Kim Jae-chun (PKG Development Team) contributed to optimizing the thermal characteristics of packages for AI and HPC, while Master Jeon Ha-young (Foundry Process Development Team) contributed to securing miniaturization technologies for 3-, 2-, and 1.4-nanometer advanced processes through the new ultra-precise etching "dry clean" process.
Industry watchers say these appointments are "a starting gun signaling a strategic shift by Samsung Electronics from 'first-ever' competition to placing the emphasis on solid Production yield and mass-production stability." A semiconductor industry official said, "The foundry suffered customer churn due to insufficient Production yield, but new orders and process improvements have recently become visible," adding, "Samsung's personnel moves centered on on-site technical leadership show its determination to produce a sure turnaround in the two pillars of semiconductors."