THE VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Special Feature
Samsung
THE VISION FOR THE FUTURE 2
Issue 051 · Business Enquirer Magazine
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PROJECT DIRECTED BY
WRITTEN BY
Jamie Waite
Jay Benmehidi
Special Feature ”The external uncertainties are expected to continue this year, the demand for semiconductors is forecasted to grow on the back of the growth of AI technology and automotive semiconductor industries, increased investment from data center companies and expansion of fifth-generation (5G) networks”
“The external uncertainties are expected to continue this year, the demand for semiconductors is forecasted to grow on the back of the growth of AI technology and automotive semiconductor industries, increased investment from data center companies and expansion of fifth-generation (5G) networks,” Kim said. With regards to the memory chip market, he is also optimistic: “Despite the poor market
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amsung Electronics’ Vice Chairman, jointCEO and Head of Device Solutions, Dr. Kim Ki-Nam, is a lifelong Samsung career man who is justifiably recognised as one of the most accomplished C-suite executives in the technology space, today. Since beginning his career at the global consumer electronics giant in 1981, Dr. Kim has grown to become a hugely influential star figure at the company and a catalyst behind its emergence as an innovation leader. In his current role as head of Samsung’s Device Solutions division, Dr. Kim
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Issue 051 · Business Enquirer Magazine
oversees a critical area of business responsible for the global operations of the company’s memory, System LSI and foundry business units. It is telling how, under Dr. Kim’s leadership, Samsung’s memory business has managed to fend off competition from numerous industry rivals, maintaining its high market share and technological edge with first-to-market products in DRAM, NAND flash and solid state drives (SSD), over the past decade. Even in spite of the difficulties posed by COVID-19, Dr. Kim foresees continued growth in these key areas:
situation in the memory chip industry, we can post a solid performance thanks to the technology competitiveness as a leading company. We are solidifying our technological capability by developing third-generation 10-nanometer DRAM and sixth-generation V-NAND chips.” Samsung’s system LSI Business has also thrived under his watch, demonstrating continued excellence in logic IC products such as application processors (AP), modem chipsets, CMOS image sensors and display driver ICs for a wide range of applications, whilst the newly-formed foundry business has fast emerged as a pioneering developer of advanced logic process and specialty products such as radio frequency (RF), industry’s first high-k metal gate (HKMG) transistor, and 14 Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 051
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Special Feature and tor
10nm fin field-effect transis(FinFET) process technologies.
Naturally, Dr. Kim’s present-day success can be attributed to nearly four decades of experience with Samsung, during which he cut his leadership teeth in numerous management positions. Of these, his time as CEO of Samsung’s Display business was a particularly formative experience, as was his time tenure as President of Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT), the company’s corporate R&D centre – a period during which Dr. Kim directly led research into the development of highly advanced technologies, such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, quantum dots, and advanced materials, that have revolutionised the semiconductor industry and other adjacent fields. Dr Kim’s distinguished reputation for professional excellence is only matched, if not outright eclipsed by his accomplishments as researcher and scientist. To date, he has published more than 470 technical papers in leading academic jour-
Samsung nals, which includes several publications in the prestigious Nature and Science journal. Additionally, he holds more than 360 international and domestic patents and is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea, a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Engineering, and a Samsung Fellow. Tellingly, Dr. Kim was recently bestowed with the Korea Science & Technology Award by the South Korean Government, a rare honour granted exclusively to only the finest leading homegrown scientists for their scientific achievements. Dr. Kim won the award for his role in the development of the country’s semiconductor industry, a contribution that helped transform South Korea’s semiconductor industry into a world leader. Currently, Dr. Kim serves as Chair of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association (KSIA), the Korea Printed Electronics Association, and Vice-Chair of the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST). He also holds membership of the
Board for the International Printed Electronics Association and formerly served as Chair of the Korea Display Industry Association (KDIA). He received his BSc in Electronic Engineering from Seoul National University, and his MSc in Electrical Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). He obtained his PhD in Electrical Engineering from UCLA in 1994.
One of the most valuable technology brands in the world, Samsung Electronics is a global leader in consumer electronics, semiconductors, telecommunications, and digital media technologies. Headquartered in Suwon, South Korea, the company was founded in 1969, and has since grown into a multinational conglomerate with over 287,000 employees in 74 countries.
Samsung is a name that needs little introduction, such is the global standing of the South Korean tech titan. The company is one of the most prestigious blue ribald brands in its field, rivalled only by fellow giants, Apple, Huawei, and LG Electronics. That the company is placed second behind only Apple on the Fortune Global 500 list of tech companies is telling.
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Samsung
Operating through its Consumer Electronics, Information Technology & Mobile Communications, and Device Solutions divisions, the Samsung of today – a high-tech innovation leader - is a world-away from the Samsung of the 1970s and 80s, which unlike today valued reliability, speed and scale over innovation, technological advancement and quality. Beginning in the 1990s, Samsung began to expand rapidly into the global electronics markets, making great advancements on the technology and product-quality fronts. It took little time before a number of its technology product, ranging from semiconductors, computer monitor, and LCD screens, soon climbed into top-five positions in global market share. How-
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ever, it was during the 2000s that Samsung became a true member of the global business A-list, following the successful launch of Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone series, a flagship product line which became so successful that it quickly topped the global rankings of the best-selling smartphones in the world. In a similar vein, since 2006, the company has been the top-selling global manufacturer of televisions and, since 2010, one of the leading manufacturers of tablet devices and tablet computers. True to its mission statement, Samsung continues to deliver on its vision, “Inspire the World, Create the future.”
