Samsung investing $30b in new tech to drive growth

The Samsung Group plans to invest a total of 180 trillion won (S$219 billion) over the next three years across its businesses, with over 70 per cent of the funds to be spent in South Korea.
The Samsung Group plans to invest a total of 180 trillion won (S$219 billion) over the next three years across its businesses, with over 70 per cent of the funds to be spent in South Korea. PHOTO: REUTERS

SEOUL • South Korea's Samsung Group said yesterday that it would invest US$22 billion (S$30 billion) over the next three years in cutting-edge technology including artificial intelligence (AI), self-driving cars and biopharmaceuticals, as it searches for ways to drive future growth.

The investment will be primarily led by Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest maker of memory chips, which has faced a string of setbacks in recent years, including a fall in smartphone sales and a corruption scandal that saw its vice-chairman Lee Jae-yong jailed last year.

Although demand for its memory chips remains robust, the market for its smartphones appears to have hit a wall, prompting the company to search for fresh growth opportunities.

"Samsung expects innovations powered by AI technology will drive the industry's transformation, while the next-generation 5G telecommunications technology will create new opportunities in autonomous driving, the Internet of Things and robotics," the company said in a statement.

Overall, the group plans to invest a total of 180 trillion won (S$219 billion) over the next three years across its businesses, with more than 70 per cent of the funds to be spent in South Korea.

It will expand investments in manufacturing hubs, seeking to increase production of semiconductors and display screens as well as dominate new markets by developing technology to power self-driving cars.

The company said it expected to add 40,000 new jobs over the next three years, in news that will likely bring relief to South Korea's government, which is currently struggling with high youth unemployment.

The announcement came two days after South Korean Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon met the group's de facto head, Mr Lee, calling for Samsung to create new jobs and boost the economy.

Samsung's second-quarter profit dipped slightly to 11.04 trillion won, down from 11.05 trillion won a year earlier.

Total sales for April-June fell 4.1 per cent year-on-year to 58.48 trillion won, with revenues for the company's mobile division plunging 22 per cent in the same period.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 09, 2018, with the headline Samsung investing $30b in new tech to drive growth. Subscribe