[Report] "I Work at Samsung" ? What Is the Reaction in Silicon Valley?

Visiting the US Headquarters and Research Center
Samsung Attracting Talent from Silicon Valley

[Silicon Valley=Asia Economy Reporter Park Sun-mi]"If you say you work at Samsung in this neighborhood, everyone is envious. Even among the many major tech companies like Apple, Google, and Facebook here, Samsung is known as a place everyone wants to join just by its name alone. In fact, the welfare benefits are top-notch. You can have all three meals in Korean cuisine, and various exercise and relaxation facilities are the best in the industry to enable creative thinking."

Samsung Electronics unveiled its semiconductor (DS) division's Americas headquarters located in San Jose, California, also known as 'Silicon Valley.' An employee met there explained to the reporter the pride of commuting to Samsung Electronics in Silicon Valley. They said that just because it's Samsung, it is a sufficient reason for young people in this area to want to join.

Samsung Electronics DS Americas Headquarters building located in San Jose, California, USA.

Samsung Electronics, which holds the number one position in the global memory semiconductor market, has 1,200 global talents at the DS Americas headquarters responsible for the U.S. market, which accounts for 50% of the global semiconductor market. The building itself is a local landmark. The DS Americas headquarters building is a 10-story structure designed to resemble the three-layer stacked structure of NAND flash memory, establishing itself as a landmark symbolizing the semiconductor industry in Silicon Valley. Although 10 stories may seem low, this area experiences frequent earthquakes, making it difficult to construct taller buildings. At 10 stories, it is the tallest skyscraper nearby.

The interior of the building is mostly open space, designed to maximize collaboration efficiency among members. Through large glass windows, abundant natural light can be enjoyed from anywhere, and outdoor gardens are placed on every three floors, making the space itself eco-friendly. One entire floor of the building is filled with exercise equipment, larger than most health clubs. Various amenities such as billiard tables, game machines, and music listening rooms support employees' relaxation, helping them to think creatively. The in-house cafeteria offers menus including Western, Korean, Japanese, and Mexican cuisine to meet the preferences of global employees.

Han Jin-man, Vice President of DS Americas headquarters, said, "DS Americas headquarters plays a role in consolidating research and development, sales, marketing, and customer support capabilities to strengthen the competitiveness of the semiconductor business in the Americas." He explained, "Considering the importance of the expanding U.S. market, it is a place to enhance technology and business responsiveness in memory, system LSI, and foundry sectors by building close cooperative relationships with various innovative companies in the region to secure future growth engines."

Samsung Research America (SRA), which creates Samsung Electronics' future technologies, is also a representative Samsung research institute attracting global talents in Silicon Valley. With about 650 researchers working there, it is expanding research into various fields including next-generation communications, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, digital health, multimedia, cameras, and software platforms.

In Silicon Valley, the battleground for new technology development, SRA plays a role in conceptualizing future products that will become Samsung Electronics' future revenue sources and integrating various new technologies to implement the necessary technologies. On the 7th (local time), No Won-il, Vice President and Director of Samsung Research America, introduced SRA to the visiting press corps as "a place that researches core technologies for future products and services of Samsung Electronics' DX (Device Experience) division under the mission of 'becoming the foundation of innovative excellence.'" He also mentioned that SRA has been focusing on advancing 5G technology and researching 6G technology since 2019.

Samsung Research America Vice President and Head of Research Wonil Noh introduces key research progress at the research center located in Mountain View, Silicon Valley, USA, on the 7th (local time).

Vice President No said, "The biggest advantage here is the ability to recruit excellent talents from Silicon Valley," adding, "As layoffs in the U.S. IT industry accelerate recently, a good opportunity is coming for Samsung, which urgently needs to secure outstanding personnel." He continued, "Samsung's situation is different from other IT companies that are conducting layoffs to respond to decreased demand and reduce costs," and added, "We are actively recruiting talents with industry-leading welfare and compensation to expand research into various fields such as AI, robotics, and digital health."