三星李在镕就任会长四周年视察机器人事业部，重申人形机器人与AI基础设施为下一增长轴

Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee visited the company's robotics operations on the 27th, the fourth anniversary of his appointment as chairman. Instead of holding a commemorative event, he inspected the robotics technology Samsung is nurturing as a future growth engine. Analysts said Lee, who has focused on restoring the company's competitiveness in semiconductors, is now broadening its growth axis to robots and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Lee visited the Umyeon Seoul Research and Development Campus the same day to review progress in robot development, Samsung Electronics said on the 27th. The campus is the base of the Robotics Experience business division launched in July. The division reports directly to Roh Tae-moon, head of the Device eXperience division, and oversees robot technology development and commercialization.
Lee reviewed humanoid robot prototypes and related technologies under development at the division, according to the company. He showed particular interest in the precision manipulation technology needed for robotic hands to pick up objects and handle tools. Samsung Electronics is conducting advance development of robotic hands in various configurations, ranging from grippers that grasp objects like tongs to designs with five fingers on each hand.
Lee's interest in the robotics business dates back years. In November 2020, when he was vice chairman, he visited the same Umyeon campus to inspect robot prototypes for use in health care, serving and delivery. At a public briefing on the company's three mega projects in June, he said demand for robots is expected to grow sharply "not only at industrial sites such as factories but throughout society, including homes, restaurants, hospitals and nursing facilities," pledging to significantly expand robot-related investment.
Samsung Electronics brought robotics specialist Rainbow Robotics in as a subsidiary and then established the Robotics Experience business division this year while adding specialized personnel. Kim Eui-gyeom, an executive and expert in robotic hands and precision manipulation, joined the company, and Yoon Jang-hyun, chief technology officer and president of the Device eXperience division, concurrently heads the hardware and AI software development teams. The company aims to unveil an in-house developed humanoid to the world at CES in Las Vegas in early January.
The robotics business is also linked to manufacturing innovation. Samsung Electronics plans to convert its production facilities at home and abroad into AI-driven autonomous factories by 2030. The plan calls for managing production and quality with AI and applying robots to tasks such as material transport and assembly to raise productivity. The company will also build a data factory at its Gumi plant to secure robot training data.
Lee's fourth anniversary coincided with record earnings at Samsung Electronics driven by the semiconductor boom. Preliminary third-quarter operating profit came to 107.4 trillion won, about 10 times the 10.852 trillion won posted in the third quarter of 2022, when he became chairman.
Lee also reviewed future businesses at the construction site of the Al Dhafra gas-fired power plant in the United Arab Emirates on the 21st. He discussed ways to expand AI data center and energy infrastructure businesses with executives from Samsung C&T and Samsung E&A. Translating the gains made in semiconductors into robots and AI infrastructure is seen as Samsung's next task.