Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) is overhauling its second-half business strategy around artificial intelligence (AI). While the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran has eased some logistics and energy risks, uncertainties such as the high exchange rate persist, prompting the company to stake its future on "AI transformation (AX)" to expand sales and defend profitability.
According to business circles Sunday, Samsung Electronics will hold global strategy meetings consecutively, with the Device eXperience (DX) division meeting on June 16-18 and the semiconductor (DS) division meeting on June 18, with AX in the distribution and sales segments as the key agenda. Held every June and December, Samsung Electronics' strategy meetings bring together executives and overseas subsidiary heads under the leadership of division heads to share current issues and refine business goals.
Ahead of the meetings, Samsung diagnosed that global uncertainties remain even after the ceasefire and that preparation for a Middle East-driven new normal is needed, deciding to focus on improving profitability through AX innovation. Roh Tae-moon, president and head of the DX division, will preside over consecutive meetings, starting with the Mobile eXperience (MX) business on June 16, followed by the Visual Display (VD) and Digital Appliances (DA) businesses on June 17, and a company-wide meeting on June 18. Executives decided to introduce AI across global sales and distribution organizations to reduce costs and maximize marketing efficiency, thereby expanding market share. They will also further strengthen global sales capabilities by increasing personnel managing overseas subsidiaries.
The company will also begin a full-fledged push to recapture the Middle East market. Samsung Electronics has already returned about 120 expatriates and local Korean employees in the Middle East, excluding Iran and Iraq, to active duty, planning to immediately pursue business-to-business (B2B) orders such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) for AI data centers. It plans to flesh out its roadmap for AI-based new businesses such as robotics and digital healthcare, giving members confidence in future businesses and solidifying new growth engines.
The semiconductor division's global strategy meeting, presided over by Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun, will be held on June 18. The DS division, which has been posting strong results, will focus on cementing its lead in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) to drive second-half earnings. The division will review the supply status of sixth-generation HBM (HBM4) to be mounted on Nvidia's next-generation accelerator "Vera Rubin," which has entered mass production, and refine its strategy to gain an early lead in HBM4E, samples of which it recently shipped for the first time in the world.
