Announcement made at Yeongnam advanced industry forum in Jinju

Samsung pledges 200,000 quality jobs

Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDS to put 19 trillion won into humanoid robot mass production in Gumi

Samsung SDI to invest 16 trillion won in solid-state batteries in Ulsan

Samsung Electro-Mechanics to commit 15 trillion won to package substrates and MLCC mother lines in Busan

Samsung Heavy Industries to invest 10 trillion won in high-value vessels and marine infrastructure in Geoje

Samsung Electronics President and CEO Roh Tae-moon presents the company's investment plan at the Yeongnam Advanced Industry Development Vision Forum in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, on Thursday, presided over by President Lee Jae Myung. [Cheong Wa Dae Press Photographers Pool/Yonhap]
Samsung Electronics President and CEO Roh Tae-moon presents the company's investment plan at the Yeongnam Advanced Industry Development Vision Forum in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, on Thursday, presided over by President Lee Jae Myung. [Cheong Wa Dae Press Photographers Pool/Yonhap]

Samsung Electronics plans to invest about 60 trillion won ($38.6 billion) to develop the Yeongnam region into a leading hub for manufacturing AI, combining artificial intelligence transformation — known as AX — with robotics. The investment will focus on humanoid robots, AI data centers and advanced manufacturing, with a goal of creating 200,000 quality jobs in the region.

Roh Tae-moon, Samsung Electronics' president and CEO and head of its Device Experience division, announced the plan Thursday at the Yeongnam Advanced Industry Development Vision Forum. Samsung said it would devote all its efforts to transforming Yeongnam into a global physical AI innovation cluster centered on AX and robotics.

"Yeongnam has been Samsung's manufacturing innovation base and the heart of advanced industry since the 1970s," Roh said. "We produce Galaxy smartphones — Samsung Electronics' flagship product — in Gumi, manufacture batteries in Ulsan, and make MLCC and package substrates in Busan."

He said the region has long served as the engine of South Korea's industrial development, and added that AI is now transforming the manufacturing sector at an unimaginable pace. "AI is turning traditional factories into AI-driven factories centered on humanoid robots," he said.

Roh also said the company would "create 200,000 quality jobs in the Yeongnam region through focused investment in humanoid robots, AI data centers and advanced manufacturing."

Samsung Electronics President and CEO Roh Tae-moon, who also heads the Device Experience division, announces at the Yeongnam Advanced Industry Development Vision Forum that Samsung Electronics will invest about 60 trillion won to develop the Yeongnam region into a leading manufacturing AI hub. [KTV capture]
Samsung Electronics President and CEO Roh Tae-moon, who also heads the Device Experience division, announces at the Yeongnam Advanced Industry Development Vision Forum that Samsung Electronics will invest about 60 trillion won to develop the Yeongnam region into a leading manufacturing AI hub. [KTV capture]

Samsung Electronics and Samsung SDS will invest 19 trillion won in Gumi to develop it into an advanced future manufacturing complex. The investment aims to overcome a slowdown in the city's traditional manufacturing growth by building a humanoid robot mass-production system and converting existing facilities into AI-driven factories through manufacturing AX.

The companies also plan to build AI data center infrastructure linked to manufacturing, robotics and automation industries. Through these efforts, Samsung Electronics' Gumi campus is expected to emerge as a global manufacturing innovation hub equipped for the competitive demands of the future.

In Ulsan, Samsung SDI will invest 16 trillion won to mass-produce cutting-edge solid-state batteries for humanoid robots and electric vehicles, as well as batteries for energy storage systems. The investment targets making Ulsan the site of the world's first mass production of solid-state batteries, securing technological leadership for the future.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics will invest 15 trillion won in Busan to build package substrate and MLCC mother lines for AI servers, continuing the shift toward high-value advanced industries.

Samsung Heavy Industries will invest 10 trillion won in Geoje to build cutting-edge high-value vessels and marine infrastructure. The investment is intended to boost productivity and strengthen the broader ecosystem of upstream and downstream partner companies.

Roh also called on the government for two forward-looking forms of support to sustain investment and innovation.

"Please designate a robotics industry special zone and provide incentives so we can operate under conditions comparable to those in competing countries," he said. He also asked the government to expand state-led projects to strengthen the competitiveness of South Korea's shipbuilding industry.


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