After securing core technologies and data on manufacturing and logistics sites, Samsung Electronics will develop them into a high-intelligence, multi-purpose humanoid and gradually expand into the business-to-consumer (B2C) market. In Gumi, North Gyeongsang, it will build a pilot robot production line and a data factory, and it is also considering collaboration with and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of overseas startups.
In its second-quarter earnings conference call on the 30th, Samsung Electronics said, "We will secure core technologies and data centered on business-to-business (B2B) sites such as manufacturing and logistics," adding, "We plan to develop them into a high-intelligence, multi-purpose humanoid and expand step by step into the B2C domain."
The robot business organization was integrated into the RX (Robotics eXperience) Business Promotion Office under the direct supervision of the CEO. Samsung Electronics explained that this was "to bring together the company-wide robotics capabilities accumulated so far into one, and to establish a system that integrates everything from strategy development to hardware and artificial intelligence (AI) and software technology development to product planning."
It will also expand infrastructure for production and field deployment. The company said, "Focusing on Gumi, we will build a pilot robot production line and a data factory to establish a foundation for production and field deployment," and added, "We plan to leverage global research hubs in the United States, China, and Japan to secure capabilities across the entire robot ecosystem."
It also strengthened its workforce. Vice President Lee Dong-geon of Samsung Electronics, who led robot strategy at Boston Dynamics within Hyundai Motor Group, will head the Robotics Strategy Team. Seoul National University Professor Kim Hyun-jin, who researched intelligent autonomous robot systems and robot control, and Ajou University Professor Kim Ui-gyeom, an expert in robot hands and manipulation technology, are also set to join the RX Business Promotion Office.
It left open the possibility of investment to secure external technologies and corporations. Samsung Electronics said, "To accelerate the humanoid business, we are continuously reviewing investments such as collaboration with promising overseas startups and M&A."
It is also preparing the semiconductor business for robots. The company said, "We are proactively preparing next-generation semiconductor solutions that encompass high-bandwidth, low-power memory; processors (XPU) for On-device AI; image sensors; foundry for AI Semiconductor; and advanced packaging capabilities."
It added, "Based on our semiconductor, software, AI, and manufacturing capabilities, we will secure differentiated competitiveness in robots and foster them as a future growth engine."