Samsung is a South Korean multinational conglomerate and one of the largest technology companies globally. Founded in 1938 by Lee Byung-chul, it initially started as a trading company but later expanded into various industries, eventually becoming a dominant force in electronics, semiconductors, telecommunications, and more.
Key Areas of Samsung’s Business
- Consumer Electronics
- Samsung is a leading manufacturer of consumer electronics, including smartphones (such as the Galaxy series), tablets, televisions, home appliances (like refrigerators and washing machines), and audio devices.
- Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone series, particularly the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines, have become some of the most popular smartphones globally, competing with Apple’s iPhone.
- Semiconductors
- Samsung is a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing, producing memory chips (DRAM and NAND), system-on-chips (SoCs), processors, image sensors, and display technologies.
- Its memory chips are widely used in consumer electronics, data centers, and enterprise storage.
- Samsung’s Exynos processors power many of its devices, and its display technology is widely used by other smartphone manufacturers.
- Display Technology
- Samsung Display is one of the leading suppliers of OLED panels, which are used in Samsung’s own devices as well as in devices from other major brands.
- Samsung’s display innovations have enabled high-quality visuals on devices of all sizes, from smartphones to TVs and laptops.
- Home Appliances and Digital Appliances
- Samsung produces a wide range of digital and home appliances, including smart refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, vacuum cleaners, and microwave ovens.
- Many Samsung appliances are now equipped with smart connectivity features, which integrate with the Samsung SmartThings ecosystem for IoT-enabled homes.
- Telecommunications and 5G
- Samsung is actively involved in the development of 5G infrastructure and network equipment, providing technology to telecom providers and helping to build 5G networks worldwide.
- In addition to network infrastructure, Samsung produces mobile devices equipped with 5G, playing a significant role in the global rollout of the technology.
- Software and Services
- Samsung has its own ecosystem of apps and services, including the Samsung Galaxy Store, Samsung Pay (a mobile payment service), Samsung Health (a health tracking app), and Samsung Knox (a security platform for devices).
- Samsung’s SmartThings platform allows users to control and automate smart home devices, connecting a variety of IoT-enabled products in the home.
- Research and Development
- Samsung is known for its high investment in R&D and innovation, consistently exploring new technology areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles, robotics, and biotechnology.
- The company frequently files patents and develops cutting-edge technology, such as foldable display technology used in its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip smartphones.
Samsung’s Market Presence and Impact
Samsung has a massive market presence, with its products being sold in almost every country worldwide. Its influence spans across a variety of industries, making it one of the world’s largest and most diversified technology companies. Samsung’s innovations in electronics and technology have shaped the industry, influencing everything from mobile technology to home automation.
Key Competitors
Samsung competes with several other tech giants in various sectors:
- Apple in smartphones, tablets, and wearables.
- Intel, TSMC, and Qualcomm in semiconductors.
- Sony, LG, and TCL in TVs and displays.
- Huawei, Nokia, and Ericsson in telecommunications and network equipment.
- LG, Whirlpool, and Panasonic in home appliances.
Corporate Structure and Subsidiaries
Samsung is part of the Samsung Group, a large conglomerate (“chaebol”) that includes various affiliated companies, such as Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDI (batteries), Samsung Display, Samsung Heavy Industries (shipbuilding), Samsung Engineering (construction and engineering), and Samsung Life Insurance. Each subsidiary operates somewhat independently, though they share the Samsung brand.
Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility
Samsung has committed to environmental initiatives, such as reducing carbon emissions, using more sustainable materials, and creating products with energy-saving features. Samsung is also known for its corporate social responsibility programs, which include education, community engagement, and technology access initiatives.
Recent Innovations
- Foldable Devices: Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip have been pioneers in foldable smartphone technology.
- 8K and 4K TVs: Samsung is a leader in high-definition television with its QLED technology, offering high-resolution and HDR displays.
- AI and IoT: Through the SmartThings platform, Samsung continues to expand in AI and IoT, integrating smart connectivity across various devices in the home.
Samsung’s influence as a tech leader and innovator continues to grow, making it a significant player in shaping the future of technology in everyday life.
Semi-Conductor Products
Samsung Electronics has been the world’s largest memory chip manufacturer since 1993, and the largest semiconductor company since 2017. Samsung Semiconductor division manufactures various semiconductor devices, including semiconductor nodes, MOSFET transistors, integrated circuit chips, and semiconductor memory.
Since the early 1990s, Samsung Electronics has commercially introduced a number of new memory technologies. They commercially introduced SDRAM (synchronous dynamic random-access memory) in 1992, and later DDR SDRAM (double data rate SDRAM) and GDDR (graphics DDR) SGRAM (synchronous graphics RAM) in 1998. In 2009, Samsung started mass-producing 30 nm-class NAND flash memory, and in 2010 succeeded in mass-producing 30 nm class DRAM and 20 nm class NAND flash, both of which were for the first time in the world. They also commercially introduced TLC (triple-level cell) NAND flash memory in 2010, V-NAND flash in 2013, LPDDR4 SDRAM in 2013, HBM2 in 2016, GDDR6 in January 2018 and LPDDR5 in June 2018.
Another area where the company has had significant business in for years is the foundry segment. It had begun investment in the foundry business since 2006, and positioned it as one of the strategic pillars for semiconductor growth. Since then, Samsung has been a leader in semiconductor device fabrication. Samsung began mass-production of a 20 nm class semiconductor manufacturing process in 2010, followed by a 10 nm class FinFET process in 2013, and 7 nm FinFET nodes in 2018. They also began production of the first 5 nm nodes in late 2018, with plans to introduce 3 nm GAAFET nodes by 2021.
According to market research firm Gartner, during the second quarter of 2010, Samsung Electronics took the top position in the DRAM segment due to brisk sales of the item on the world market. Gartner analysts said in their report, “Samsung cemented its leading position by taking a 35-percent market share. All the other suppliers had minimal change in their shares.” The company took the top slot in the ranking, followed by Hynix, Elpida, and Micron, said Gartner.
In 2010, market researcher IC Insights predicted that Samsung would become the world’s-biggest semiconductor chip supplier by 2014, surpassing Intel. For the ten-year period from 1999 to 2009, Samsung’s compound annual growth rate in semiconductor revenues was 13.5 percent, compared with 3.4 percent for Intel. For 2015, IC Insights and Gartner announced that Samsung was the fourth largest chip manufacturer in the world. Samsung eventually surpassed Intel to become the world’s largest semiconductor company in 2017.
By the second quarter of 2020 the company had planned to start mass production of 5 nm chips using Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) and aimed to become a leader in EUV process use.
On 30 November 2021, it was announced that the company would be producing new auto chips for Volkswagen vehicles. The logic chips will be used in entertainment systems to provide 5G telecommunications to meet the increased demand for high-definition video while traveling.
The Xi’an China facility, which has been running since 2014, produces approximately 40 percent of Samsung Electronics NAND flash memory chips.
URL: https://www.samsung.com/