Samsung's Lee Jae-Yong Forges Strategic AI Chip Production Alliance With ZEISS

Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, has deepened ties with ZEISS in Germany to propel the company into a leadership position within the AI chip sector.

Strengthening Samsung's Chip Production with ZEISS

According to The Korea Herald, Lee recently visited Europe and met with senior executives of Zeiss, a German optics manufacturer. Aiming to be the market leader in artificial intelligence chips, Zeiss is an indispensable partner for Samsung.

Samsung said on Sunday that its CEO toured the Zeiss headquarters in Oberkochen on Friday and discussed long-term partnerships with Andreas Pecher, CEO of Zeiss Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, and Karl Lamprecht, CEO of Zeiss Group.

Breakthroughs in AI Chip Technology

Zeiss is an optical system company with innovative technology for lithography optics and photomask systems used in modern chip fabrication equipment.

Zeiss holds almost 2,000 patents for crucial innovations related to the intense ultraviolet lithography technique, critical for developing highly sophisticated devices. According to Samsung, Zeiss provides more than 30,000 parts for one extreme ultraviolet lithography machine manufactured only by ASML in the Netherlands.

Samsung's Broader Strategy in the AI Chip Market

During Lee's visit, Zeiss reiterated its pledge to invest 4.8 billion won ($3.4 million) in Korea to construct a research and development facility by 2026.

Samsung claimed that by working with Zeiss, the company will be able to increase yield rates, enhance manufacturing process optimization, and enhance the performance of its upcoming chips.

Samsung will use EUV technology to make sixth-generation 10-nanometer DRAM chips this year. The company said it will lead the under-3 nm technique to create highly advanced semiconductors using EUV technology.

A Samsung Electronics spokesman reportedly told The Korea Times, "Lee will also hold various business meetings with local clients by visiting not just Germany, but France and Italy, during the business trip. The move is aimed at finding the firm's next growth engines while at the same time tightening its footing in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip market."

Samsung Electronics is actively pursuing diversification into non-memory chip sectors, including neural processing units (NPU) and image sensors, to decrease its dependence on the memory chip industry.

Photo: ZEISS Microscopy/Flickr(CC BY 2.0)