Samsung Retains Younghyun Jeon as Memory Chief... Leaping Toward an "AI-Driven Company"

Focus on Stability Over Change
Strengthening Semiconductor Competitiveness
Bold R&D and New Business Investments Expected
Synergy Anticipated with President Hakkyu Park
New SAIT President Hongkeun Park
Leading Future Device Research

On November 21, Samsung Electronics announced that Younghyun Jeon, Head of the Device Solutions (DS) Division and Vice Chairman, will continue to lead the memory business next year. Instead of appointing a new leader for the Memory Business Division, the company chose to maintain Vice Chairman Jeon's concurrent position, emphasizing stability. Initially, the semiconductor industry anticipated that Samsung would take a bold step by introducing a new head for the Memory Business Division, especially as the memory market is booming and competition in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market is intensifying. However, no dramatic personnel changes were made. Rather than taking unnecessary risks with change, the company prioritized stable leadership to maintain its competitiveness, reflecting strong confidence in Vice Chairman Jeon.

Younghyun Jeon, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics. Samsung Electronics

Last May, Vice Chairman Jeon stepped in as the "relief pitcher" for semiconductors, directly overseeing the Memory Business Division, which was facing a crisis due to underperformance in HBM. As a result, Samsung Electronics recently secured a supply agreement for HBM3E 12-layer products with Nvidia, and it is now widely expected to supply next-generation HBM4 as well. The foundry business, which had struggled at the 3nm (1nm = one-billionth of a meter) process, achieved a dramatic turnaround this year by winning a large-scale order worth approximately 23 trillion won from Tesla. While the foundry business is now effectively led by Han Jinman, President and Head of the Foundry Business Division, due to Vice Chairman Jeon's focus on memory businesses such as HBM, analysts note that Jeon's influence over overall operations and strategic direction remains significant. The company has also achieved advanced results in cutting-edge 2nm processes, including the production of its own mobile application processor, the Exynos 2600. Performance, as measured by numbers, has shown a clear improvement. The DS Division recorded an operating profit of 7 trillion won in the third quarter of this year and expects to achieve over 10 trillion won in the fourth quarter. Samsung also regained its top position in the overall memory market, including DRAM, which had previously been overtaken by SK Hynix.

President Hongkeun Park of Samsung Electronics appointed as the new president of SAIT. Samsung Electronics

However, Vice Chairman Jeon will be handing over the position of head of SAIT (formerly Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology), which he has held concurrently, to Hongkeun Park, a distinguished professor at Harvard University. The company appointed Professor Park as the new president (President) of SAIT, aiming to inject fresh momentum. President Park is a globally renowned scholar who, since his appointment as a professor at Harvard in 1999, has led research across fundamental sciences and engineering, including chemistry, physics, and electronics, for over 25 years. He has maintained a close relationship with SAIT through joint research and other collaborations since his professorship. After joining in January next year, he plans to lead research into future devices such as quantum computing and neuromorphic semiconductors.

Samsung Electronics explained that this round of appointments aligns with its new goal of becoming an "AI-driven company." This catchphrase reflects the company's ambition to be a leader in driving change in the AI market ahead of others. At the 56th anniversary celebration on October 31, Vice Chairman Jeon reiterated this vision, stating, "We must not be a company that follows change, but one that leads AI innovation."

With this personnel move, Vice Chairman Jeon is expected to have an even stronger grip on the organization, and he is anticipated to boldly request resources for research and development (R&D) and budgets required for new business initiatives. Attention is also focused on whether he will be able to create synergy with President Hakkyu Park, who was recently appointed as head of the newly established Business Support Office after the business support task force (TF) was made permanent on November 7. President Park is known for his deep understanding of the semiconductor business and its investment needs. Vice Chairman Jeon previously outlined his vision, stating, "AI is already breaking down the boundaries of industries and reshaping the world," and added, "We will fully integrate Samsung Electronics' unique technological capabilities with our AI expertise."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.