Is Samsung on track for large-scale M&A deals?

Samsung Electronics is seen ramping up its merger and acquisition efforts to secure a stronger footing in the rising technology sectors, including artificial intelligence. The South Korean tech giant, leading in mobile devices and semiconductors, announced Thursday its acquisition of Oxford Semantic Technologies, a UK-based startup specializing in knowledge graph technology. It is the first time the company makes such an investment via Samsung Research, its research and development hub. The deal

July 21, 2024

10 Korean companies on recovery from Microsoft IT outage

Following the mass global tech outage linked to Microsoft that disrupted critical public services and grounded planes, 10 companies affected in Korea have restored their operations or are on their way to recovery, said industry officials on Sunday. A faulty update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike was released worldwide to Microsoft's Windows operating systems on Friday, resulting in “blue screen of death” crashes and systems being knocked offline in airports, hospitals and

July 21, 2024

Will Galaxy Ring renew Samsung-Apple rivalry?

Competition between global tech rivals Samsung Electronics and Apple for domination of the burgeoning digital health care market heats up as elderly populations grow rapidly in many parts of the world. Samsung considers digital health care as a future growth engine. The strategy is to put health management app Samsung Health at the forefront and use the Galaxy Watch series as a pivotal element, particularly highlighting its sleep management feature. Last week, the Korean tech giant unveiled the

July 19, 2024

Samsung sees fewer preorders for Galaxy Z foldable phones

Preorders for Samsung Electronics’ new foldable smartphones have topped 910,000 units in South Korea, a decline from 1.02 million preorders for their predecessors last year, according to the tech giant on Friday. Ahead of the official release of the Galaxy Z Flip6 and Fold6 on July 24, Samsung accepted preorders for the new phones for a week until Thursday in Korea. Despite a nearly 10 percent decline from last year, consumers in their 20s and 30s – Samsung’s target audience &n

July 19, 2024

LG eyes W1tr sales in smart factory solutions by 2030

LG Electronics said Thursday it has set a goal of achieving over 1 trillion won ($724 million) in sales in the smart factory solutions business by 2030, by integrating artificial intelligence and digital transformation technologies as well as manufacturing and production data. “Despite it being the inaugural year of operation, substantial progress has already been made,” said Song Si-yong, a smart factory business division leader of LG PRI (Production Engineering Research Institute),

July 18, 2024

Samsung acquires UK tech startup to expand on-device AI capabilities

Samsung Electronics said Thursday that it has acquired Oxford Semantic Technologies, a UK-based startup, to enhance the on-device AI integrated into its Galaxy series. According to the tech giant, the acquisition was formalized Tuesday, though the financial details have yet to be disclosed. The acquired firm, founded in 2017 by three professors from the University of Oxford, leads in knowledge graphs, a key technology for advancing and personalizing artificial intelligence. This technology, whic

July 18, 2024

Tmax Tibero’s research center recognized top R&D center by Science Ministry

Tmax Group announced Thursday that the research institute under its database management system (DBMS) specialist subsidiary, TmaxTibero, has been recognized by the Ministry of Science and ICT as the top corporate research and development center for the first half of 2024. Among 24 exemplary corporate research institutes chosen by the ministry, two, including TmaxTibero, were highlighted for their global growth potential and designated as top-tier. TmaxTibero's research institute focuses on

July 18, 2024

Google suspends popular search service in Korea

US tech giant Google has recently discontinued offering real-time popular searches in Korea, a feature long banned by its Korean rivals such as Naver and Daum due to the possibility of manipulating public opinion. “We have decided to remove the feature from Google Search in Korea. The feature is no longer available here,” Google Korea said in a statement Wednesday. No further elaboration on the reason and timing of the suspension was given. Naver and Daum suspended their popular sear

July 17, 2024

[Herald Interview] SK’s investment in Kentucky to attract more investors like ‘gravity’: Gov.

SK On’s new battery plant in Kentucky – the world’s largest of its kind – will help attract more investments into the US state like “gravity,” Gov. Andy Beshear told The Korea Herald in an interview held in Seoul on Monday. SK On, the battery-making unit of SK Group, has set up a joint venture with US auto giant Ford, called BlueOval SK, in the southeastern state of the US, with a whopping $5.8 billion investment. “SK On’s project is the largest in

July 16, 2024

SKT invests $200m in data center specialist Smart Global in AI push

SK Telecom, South Korea's largest wireless carrier by membership, said Tuesday that it has signed a contract to invest $200 million in Smart Global Holdings, a US company specializing in data center integration solutions. Under the terms of the agreement, SKT will acquire 200,000 preferred shares and secure about 10 percent ownership through conversion to common stock. This marks the telecom giant’s largest investment in the artificial intelligence sector. With this investment, the am

July 16, 2024

Chinese rivals to take on Samsung with slimmer foldable phones

Amid Samsung Electronics’ leadership as a foldable phone pioneer, its Chinese rivals appear to be racing to shrink the size of their new phones. Last week in Paris, Samsung unveiled its new foldable phones the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Flip6, touting them as the slimmer and lighter phones to be powered by its new artificial intelligence features, called Galaxy AI. Just a few days after Samsung's highly-publicized Unpacked event, China’s Honor launched its version Friday, saying the new

July 15, 2024

Committee on Space Research underscores international cooperation

BUSAN -- Yoon Young-bin, the head of Korea AeroSpace Administration, or KASA, on Monday reiterated the importance of collaboration and cooperation in space to make progress across borders for the prosperity of humanity at the 45th Committee on Space Research, or COSPAR, at Bexco in Busan. “In order to become an influential member of the international space community, we will actively pursue cooperative activities in the field of space exploration and space science where global collaboratio

July 15, 2024

SKT debuts veterinary diagnostic service in North America

SK Telecom said Monday that it has sealed partnerships in Canada and the US to expand its proprietary artificial intelligence-driven veterinary diagnostic service, X Caliber, into the North American pet market, the largest globally. Originally launched in Korea in September 2022, X Caliber executes diagnostic results through AI analysis of X-ray images. This expansion into North America follows its recent launches in Australia and Indonesia. Expansion in Canada has been confirmed through a distr

July 15, 2024

Samsung invests in US DNA-sequencing biotech Element Biosciences

Samsung Electronics took part in a $277 million Series D investment for Element Bioscience, a US-based DNA analysis equipment company, to expand its footing in the medical device market, the company said Friday. Element Biosciences, established in 2017 in San Diego, is a life science company that developed the disruptive DNA sequencing and multi-omics technology that boasts the industry's "top level" accuracy for research markets, Samsung said. According to the bioscience firm, th

July 12, 2024

[Gadget Review] Galaxy Z Flip6, Fold6 bring AI tech to palm of your hand

Samsung Electronics’ latest foldable phones -- the Galaxy Z Flip6 and Z Fold6 -- were unveiled at the summer edition of the Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event in Paris on Wednesday, surprising the audience with slimmer and lighter designs. The Korea Herald had a chance to try out the new foldable lineup the day after the unveiling event in Korea. The tech giant’s first artificial intelligence-powered foldable phones are easy to hold and fun to play with, but the more you use them, the more t

July 11, 2024

LGE, Qualcomm chiefs meet to discuss AI partnership

LG Electronics Chief Executive Officer Cho Joo-wan met with Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon on Wednesday to discuss their ongoing collaboration on advanced technology, including on-device artificial intelligence and automotive electronics, according to industry sources. On the second day of his trip to Seoul, Amon met with Cho at the LG Electronics headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. The two companies have been building a firm partnership over the past years, especially in the fields of audio products a

July 11, 2024

Zyx Technology donates CAD software to University of Seoul

AI digital design platform company Zyx Technology announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding to donate ZyxCAD licenses worth 1 billion won ($722,021) to the University of Seoul. Key figures including Eom Shin-jo, CEO of Zyx Technology, and Won Yong-geol, President of the University of Seoul, attended the signing ceremony held on June 25. ZyxCAD is a versatile computer-aided design (CAD) software independently developed by Zyx Technology. It features a user interface and software lang

July 11, 2024

Zyx Technology releases CAD software in Vietnam

AI digital design platform company Zyx Technology announced Wednesday that it has signed a distribution agreement with HTI Hantech Innovation Vietnam, a system integration specialist, for ZyxCAD in the Vietnamese market. HTI, which operates offices in Vietnam, Europe and the Middle East, brings and promotes Korean smart construction technologies in Vietnam, such as smart factories and smart building technologies, in Vietnam. Zyx Technology anticipated that ZyxCAD and its AI-driven intelligent de

July 11, 2024

Samsung unveils slimmer AI-powered foldable phones

Samsung Electronics unveiled its new slimmer and lighter foldable phones -- the Galaxy Z Flip6 and Z Fold6 -- in Paris on Wednesday, betting big on the Olympics fever brewing in the French capital. As the venue for the biggest product launch in the latter half of this year, the Korean tech giant chose the iconic Louvre Museum, inviting some 1,000 journalists and industry people from around the globe. “Samsung Electronics has been leading the foldable market through continuous innovation si

July 10, 2024

Zyx Technology launches CAD application program Works globally

South Korean design software developer Zyx Technology has globally launched its proprietary computer-aided design (CAD) application program, Works. Works offers approximately 270 utility functions tailored to various industries utilizing CAD. CAD is a computer program that generates two- or three-dimensional graphic representation. It is employed in various fields, such as computer animation, industrial, civil and architecture design. Notable features offered by Works are the multiplot feature,

July 10, 2024