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| Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, center, poses with company executives at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Giheung Semiconductor R&D Complex in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. From left, foundry business head Choi Si-young, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology President Jin Gyo-young, DS Division Head Kyung Kye-hyun, Lee, DS Division CTO Jung Eun-seung, memory business head Lee Jung-bae and system LSI business head Park Yong-in. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics |
By Kim Hyun-bin
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong visited the company's campus in Giheung District in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, for the groundbreaking ceremony for its next-generation semiconductor R&D complex, according to the company, Friday. This visit was Lee's first public appearance since being pardoned by President Yoon Suk-yeol for National Liberation Day on Aug. 15.
The event, launched under the slogan "Creating the future with technology that does not exist in the world," was attended by around 100 people including Vice Chairman Lee and Device Solutions (DS) division head Kyung Kye-hyun.
"We are starting a new challenge at the Giheung plant, where we first started building a semiconductor factory 40 years ago," Lee said. "Without bold R&D investment for the next generation as well as next-generation products, Samsung semiconductors would not exist today. Let's continue the tradition of upfront investment. Let's create the future with technology that does not exist in the world."
The Giheung campus was the birthplace of Samsung's semiconductor business in 1983, where it developed the world's first 64M DRAM in 1992.
According to the company, the R&D complex is the foundation of the domestic semiconductor industry ecosystem. The Giheung Semiconductor R&D Complex occupies about 109,000 square meters of land and is scheduled to begin operation in mid-2025. The R&D complex consists of memory, fabless system semiconductor and foundry plants.
"(Through the R&D complex), excellent R&D personnel can gather and grow on their own through various educational opportunities that lead to organizational growth. We plan to create a virtuous cycle structure," Kyung said.
The company plans to inject 20 trillion won by 2028 in developing the research complex, which is expected to play the role of a key research base for semiconductors.
"We plan to strengthen R&D cooperation further with partners in the field," the company said in a statement. "R&D cooperation with partner companies is expected to increase the quality of jobs and promote excellent semiconductors."
After the groundbreaking ceremony, Lee visited the company's Hwaseong Campus to meet with executives and employees, attend a meeting to enhance competitiveness and receive suggestions from employees to improve the work culture.
"At the DS division president's meeting held at the Semiconductor Research Center, the major issues and risks surrounding the industry were discussed, including R&D for next-generation semiconductor technology and ways to secure key technologies, and we also talked to employees to improve the organizational culture," Samsung Electronics said.
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