Nike Beats Q3 Estimates but China Weakness and Margin Pressure Weigh on Outlook 
U.S. Warplane Shot Down by Iran Amid Escalating Middle East Conflict 
U.S. Stock Futures Stabilize Ahead of Good Friday as Investors Eye Jobs Report 
Annie Altman Amends Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman 
OpenAI Executive Shake-Up Ahead of Anticipated 2026 IPO 
Cathay Pacific Holds Firm on Flight Capacity Amid Middle East Conflict and Rising Fuel Costs 
Microsoft Eyes $7B Texas Energy Deal to Power AI Data Centers 
Russell 1000 Companies Hit $2.2T Cash Record While Aggressively Reinvesting in Growth 
Private Credit Under Pressure: Is a Slow-Motion Crisis Unfolding? 
Vietnam GDP Growth Slows in Q1 2026 Amid Middle East Oil Crisis 
Makemation: a Nollywood movie that shows AI in action in Africa 
China's Services Sector Maintains Growth Streak Despite March Slowdown 
MATCH Act Targets ASML and Chinese Chipmakers in New U.S. Export Crackdown 
SK Hynix Eyes Up to $14 Billion U.S. IPO to Fund AI Chip Expansion 
Asian Currencies Weaken as Dollar Rebounds Amid Middle East Escalation 
March 2025 Jobs Report: Strong Headline Numbers Hide Deeper Economic Concerns 
Meta Ties Executive Pay to Aggressive Stock Price Targets in Major Retention Push 
Samsung Electronics Co. will invest 30 billion won over the next three years in its Smart Factory 3.0 project which would transform SMEs’ manufacturing facilities into smart factories usingartificial intelligence (AI) and data technology.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will match Samsung’s investment.
From 2015 to last year, the Smart Factory project helped establish approximately 3,000 smart factories for SMEs nationwide.
The 3.0 initiative focuses on advancing existing smart factories, those already equipped with data-based automation systems, for participants of previous projects.
The 3.0 project will elevate SMEs’ current smart factories into “intelligent factories,” which are capable of proactively addressing on-site issues by collecting and analyzing real-time production data using AI.
Smart Factory 3.0 will also foster balanced regional development.
Consequently, Samsung plans to give priority support to SMEs located in areas facing the risk of population decline.
Samsung also plans to establish a dedicated organization to assist SMEs that lack the necessary resources in managing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) aspects.
The Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business will oversee the invitation of SMEs to participate in the smart factory project, manage the review and selection process for beneficiaries, and conduct post-evaluations.
