Samsung, Korean IT giant Naver to build AI hyperscale chip

Meanwhile, Samsung appoints its first female president

Korean electronics-maker Samsung is teaming up with domestic internet search giant Naver to develop AI chips for hyperscale computing, the duo said today.

“Samsung is combining its semiconductor design and manufacturing expertise with Naver’s experience in the development and verification of AI algorithms and AI-driven services, to create solutions that take the performance and power efficiency of large-scale AI to a new level,” said a canned statement, referring to Naver’s AI platform HyperCLOVA.

Samsung Electronics vice president Jinman Han said the venture would “solve the memory bottleneck in large-scale AI systems.”

Naver said it was bringing in its acquired IP from HyperCLOVA. The duo have worked together before, for example on the launch of Korea’s first private 5G network at Naver's headquarters, which powers cloud-based autonomous mobile robots.

In other Samsung Electronics news, the division has appointed its first woman president, Lee Young-hee. Lee will serve as president of the Global Marketing Center for Samsung's Device eXperience (DX) division, a unit that oversees the chaebol’s mobile business.

Lee has been with the company since 2007, and was promoted to vice president in 2012.

"By promoting a competent and accomplished woman vice president to president, [Samsung] presented a growth vision for female talents, and created an opportunity to dare to take on challenges,” said the company.

South Korea’s Gender Equality Ministry reportedly calculated last year that only 5.2 percent of executive positions in the country’s publicly listed companies are held by women, far lower than the OECD average of just over 25 percent. ®