Samsung Electronics unveiled plans to expand cooperation in Korea's artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor ecosystem and its strategy for next-generation foundry technology. The company aims to strengthen its role as a platform for Korea's system semiconductor industry, centered on the SAFE (Samsung Advanced Foundry Ecosystem) program that consolidates customers with design and packaging partners.
Samsung Electronics on the 1st hosted the "SAFE Forum 2026" at Samsung Electronics' Seocho building in Seocho-gu, Seoul. SAFE is short for "Samsung Advanced Foundry Ecosystem," a Samsung Electronics foundry ecosystem program. This year's theme is "The Nexus for Silicon Intelligence."
Shin Jong-shin, head of design platform development at Samsung Electronics' Foundry Business, said in a keynote address, "Samsung Electronics will raise its capacity to meet AI demand while using the SAFE Forum to actively communicate with customers and partners." He added, "While ramping up cooperation with global AI and high-performance computing (HPC) customers, we are also strengthening collaboration with domestic system semiconductor customers," and "We will go beyond foundry production to reinforce our role as a platform for Korea's system semiconductor industry."
About 400 representatives from customers and partners attended the event. Twenty-one corporations in electronic design automation (EDA), intellectual property (IP), design solution partners (DSP), virtual design partners (VDP), and advanced packaging (MDI) set up booths to showcase solutions supporting Samsung Electronics' foundry customers.
AI fabless companies Rebellions and EDA corporation Siemens EDA also joined as speakers. The two companies presented AI Semiconductor development cases using Samsung Electronics' foundry process and support plans for 2.5D and 3D chip design.
Park Sung-hyun, CEO of Rebellions, said, "Based on Samsung Electronics' 4-nanometer foundry process and advanced packaging, we developed the 'Rebel100' Neural Processing Unit (NPU)," adding, "Going forward, we will cooperate in the AI Semiconductor field to build sovereign AI." Sovereign AI refers to a strategy to reduce technological dependence on specific countries or corporations and secure control over domestic data and algorithms.
Marie Bruyere, executive vice president at Siemens EDA, said, "In 2.5D and 3D heterogeneous chip integration, broad support across Production yield, design verification, reliability, and packaging is essential," adding, "Siemens EDA will help customers rapidly realize AI and HPC semiconductors using Samsung's leading-edge processes."
Samsung Electronics also presented process and design innovation strategies to meet AI Semiconductor demand. It unveiled DTCO (Design Technology Co-Optimization), which simultaneously optimizes design and process technologies, a next-generation 2-nanometer process, and directions for process innovation tailored to AI semiconductors.
It also introduced plans to strengthen competitiveness in static random access memory (SRAM) technology. SRAM is a volatile memory that retains data while power is supplied and processes faster than DRAM. Samsung Electronics said it is improving power, performance, and area competitiveness through the DTCO strategy and high-performance SRAM technology and supporting AI Semiconductor customers in developing next-generation products.
It also announced plans to build a domestic system semiconductor ecosystem. Samsung Electronics is participating in the Manufacturing AI Transformation (M.AX) alliance led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. The Foundry Business is pushing development of low-power, high-performance On-device AI semiconductors needed in automobiles, home appliances, robots, and defense.
Samsung Electronics is easing the initial development burden on domestic fabless corporations through the multi-project wafer (MPW) program. MPW produces multiple types of semiconductor products on a single wafer to support prototyping and verification.
It is also taking part in next-generation semiconductor research and development and talent training projects. Samsung Electronics is participating in the K-CHIPS program run by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, the Korea Planning&Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT), and the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association to broaden Korea's semiconductor technology base.
Samsung Electronics views the ability to build an ecosystem that consolidates design, IP, and packaging—not just advanced processes—as emerging as the core of foundry competitiveness as the AI Semiconductor market expands. The company plans to continue cooperation with customers, partners, and the government centered on the SAFE and MPW programs.