Lee Jae-yong to Personally Oversee Semiconductors... Visits DS Giheung and Hwaseong Sites

Improved Performance in Semiconductor Division, Boosting Employee Morale
Operating Profit Expected to Exceed 23 Trillion Won in Second Half
Positive Outlook for Supplying HBM4 to Nvidia

Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, is set to visit the business sites of the Device Solutions (DS) division, which is responsible for the company's semiconductor operations. As recent evaluations indicate improvements in both memory performance and the technological competitiveness of system semiconductors (foundry and system LSI), this move is seen as Chairman Lee taking a hands-on approach to on-site management.

According to industry sources on December 22, Chairman Lee is expected to tour various memory business sites, including the next-generation research and development (R&D) complex 'NRD-K' located at the Giheung Campus in Gyeonggi Province, as well as the key Hwaseong facility.

This visit to domestic business sites comes about a week after his return from a business trip to the United States on December 15.

This visit by Chairman Lee is interpreted as an effort to boost the morale of semiconductor business employees, whose performance has significantly improved in the second half of this year.

In October 2023, Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, visited the Giheung Campus to inspect the construction site of the semiconductor research and development (R&D) complex. Samsung Electronics.

Since the third quarter of this year, Samsung Electronics has signaled a business recovery by expanding shipments of high bandwidth memory (HBM). In addition, the global expansion of investments in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure has driven up general DRAM prices, resulting in high operating profits.

The securities industry expects the operating profit of Samsung Electronics' memory business division to increase significantly, from approximately 6.35 trillion won in the first half of the year to more than 23 trillion won in the second half. For the full year, the company is projected to record nearly 30 trillion won in operating profit.

Furthermore, Samsung Electronics has recently received high marks from Nvidia for its sixth-generation high bandwidth memory, 'HBM4,' raising expectations for supplying HBM4 to Nvidia next year.

HBM4 is scheduled to be installed in Nvidia's AI accelerator 'Vera Rubin,' which is set to be released next year.

Earlier, in June of this year, Chairman Lee visited the Songdo Campus of Samsung Biologics in Incheon to check on the construction progress of Plant 5. Last year, Samsung Biologics posted strong results, surpassing 4 trillion won in consolidated sales.