Govt. to set up 'Korean pavilion' at MWC 2025 to fully support S. Korean firms

The South Korean government said Wednesday it will operate a Korean pavilion that highlights artificial intelligence and fifth-generation mobile networks at the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2025, a move also aimed at providing "full support" to South Korean companies taking part in the annual event. The pavilion, co-organized by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, better known as KOTRA, will feature a record 147 South Korean companies and nine institutions, according to the Ministry o

Feb. 26, 2025

SK hynix starts fab construction in Yongin chip cluster

South Korean memory chip-maker SK hynix has begun constructing its first chip fabrication plant in the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster following approval from Yongin City, the company said Tuesday. SK hynix is investing about 9.4 trillion won ($6.56 billion) to build the first fab and business facilities in the government-led chip cluster site, with the goal of completing construction in May 2027. Work began ahead of its planned March start after the city government approved the construction of 19

Feb. 25, 2025

Yanolja to be Korean partner of OpenAI’s Operator

Korean travel tech company Yanolja said Monday that it will be the local partner for Operator, an artificial intelligence agent developed by OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. Launched in North America this January, Operator is an AI agent that navigates the web on behalf of users, performing tasks such as travel reservations and online shopping. It is now expanding into overseas markets, including Korea. Yanolja aims to support the enhancement of the service by gathering travel-related user cases

Feb. 24, 2025

Samsung Display partners with Intel to steer AI PC Market

Samsung Display has signed a memorandum of understanding with the US semiconductor manufacturer Intel to engage in joint efforts targeting the next-generation artificial intelligence-powered PC market. Under the agreement inked on Friday, Samsung Display plans to develop display solutions optimized for Intel’s processor chips, which enable enhanced artificial intelligence capabilities. The two firms will also tap opportunities in high-performance IT devices and premium laptops, including AI PCs.

Feb. 23, 2025

Weekly ChatGPT users surpass 2 m for 1st time amid DeepSeek suspension

The number of weekly users of OpenAI's ChatGPT in South Korea exceeded 2 million for the first time this month, data showed Sunday, after the government temporarily suspended the local service of China's DeepSeek artificial intelligence over concerns of its data management. The mobile ChatGPT application had 2,025,546 users in the first week of February and further advanced to 2,092,797 users last week, according to the data compiled by industry tracker IGAWorks. ChatGPT had maintained its weekl

Feb. 23, 2025

LG-Microsoft AI partnership may expand into quantum computing

LG Electronics CEO Cho Joo-wan has openly expressed his desire to collaborate with Microsoft in quantum processing, following the release of Microsoft’s new quantum processor, Majorana 1, on Thursday. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the breakthrough on LinkedIn, emphasizing that the new processor could enable the development of next-generation quantum computers within years, rather than decades, as previously predicted. In response, Cho congratulated Microsoft on the achievement and sugges

Feb. 21, 2025

Samsung speeds up Galaxy S25 launch in Japan, Apple stronghold

Samsung Electronics officially launched its latest Galaxy S25 series in Japan last week, aiming to reclaim market share in a region dominated by Apple. While Japanese consumers remain highly loyal to the iPhone, Samsung now faces an additional challenge from Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, which has been rapidly expanding in the market. Samsung introduced the Galaxy S25 series in Japan on Feb. 14, a week later than its domestic launch in Korea. Previously, the company released new smartphones i

Feb. 21, 2025

LG Electronics invests in US mobility software startup Apex.AI

LG Electronics has made a strategic investment in US-based software startup Apex.AI, as the South Korean tech giant expands investments in advanced automotive technologies. The latest investment is part of an extension to the firm's Series B funding round, according to Apex.AI on Thursday, without disclosing the funding amount. It marks the company's first strategic investor from Korea. Based in Silicon Valley, Apex.AI develops safety-certified and scalable software for vehicles and mobility sys

Feb. 21, 2025

Merck showcases AI chip materials platform at Semicon Korea 2025

German technology firm Merck showcased its new artificial intelligence-driven chip materials platform, which has impressively reduced research and development time for critical materials used in advanced chips, at this year's Semicon Korea, Thursday. “Without materials, AI wouldn’t be possible. To power AI, we need powerful, compact and energy efficient chips, which increases complexity in both chip architecture and manufacturing processes," said Anand Nambiar, chief commercial officer of Merck

Feb. 20, 2025

Acting president outlines plan to develop 'Korean ChatGPT'

Acting President Choi Sang-mok has announced the government’s commitment to accelerating the development of a world-class artificial intelligence model. Speaking at the third National Artificial Intelligence Committee meeting held in Seoul on Thursday, Choi stressed his determination to fast-track the creation of a large-scale language model (LLM). The acting president said the government will establish an elite national AI team and provide large-scale GPU resources and research funding. “We mus

Feb. 20, 2025

TSMC-Intel tie-up could deepen Samsung's foundry woes

With Washington backing TSMC’s US expansion, Samsung may struggle to maintain its global influence, experts say Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is reportedly considering acquiring part of Intel’s chip plants, a move that, if realized, could further squeeze Samsung Electronics’ share of the global contract chip manufacturing market. Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported that Intel could face a breakup, with two major rivals eyeing different parts of its business. Semicondu

Feb. 20, 2025

Global chip market expected to surpass $1tr by 2030: Gartner

Samsung CTO says AI has 'much to learn' to match human brain The global semiconductor market is forecast to surpass an annual $1 trillion by 2030-31, backed by robust demand for advanced chips in artificial intelligence data centers and rising memory product prices, according to a market analysis on Wednesday. Delivering the market outlook at the Semicon Korea 2025 event, Gartner Vice President and senior analyst Gaurav Gupta also noted that sales of high-bandwith memory, the cutting-edge memory

Feb. 19, 2025

Samsung Electronics to cancel W3tr in own shares to boost corporate value

Chairman Lee Jae-yong not nominated for board amid legal uncertainties Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it would cancel 3.05 trillion won ($2.11 billion) worth of its own previously purchased shares as part of its plan to boost shareholder value. The tech giant’s board of directors met Tuesday and approved the retirement of 50.1 million common stocks and 6.91 million preferred stocks. The cancellation is set to take place Thursday. In addition, Samsung also decided to acquire an additional 3 tri

Feb. 18, 2025

Samsung tops global TV market, LG leads in OLED TVs

Global TV market grew 3% on-year, with total shipments at 288.3 million units Samsung Electronics retained its top position in the global TV market for 19 consecutive years in 2024, as the global market grew 3 percent in shipment volume on-year. LG Electronics also ranked first in the premium organic light-emitting diodes TV segment for 12 straight years in the same year. According to market tracker Omdia, Samsung Electronics secured a 28.3 percent market share in terms of sales in the global TV

Feb. 18, 2025

Zyx Technology donates CAD software to Royal University of Phnom Penh

South Korean design software developer Zyx Technology announced Thursday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) to donate licenses for its CAD software, ZyxCAD. The agreement is part of an Official Development Assistance (ODA) project led by the University of Seoul’s Graduate School of International Urban Science. Since 2021, the university has collaborated with RUPP, establishing Cambodia’s first independent urban planning department, the

Feb. 18, 2025