MUMBAI, Nov 25 : Reliance Group chairman Mukesh Ambani, who is in South Korea, met Samsung’s top executives, including Samsung chairman Lee Jae-yong and discussed co-operation between the two companies, South Korea’s The Chosun Daily reported on Tuesday.
The Chosun Daily quoted an industry source in Seoul stating that Chairman Ambani of Reliance Group visited the Samsung electronics headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul, in the afternoon and met key executives from major Samsung affiliates, including Chairman Lee.
Mukesh Ambani is also accompanied by his son Akash Ambani, who is the chairman and chief of the board of directors of Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd on a two-day trip to Samsung.
Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong met Mukesh Ambani and discussed ways to expand cooperation in new business areas such as semiconductors, telecommunications, and data centres.
Chairman Lee introduced various new future technologies of Samsung affiliates, including artificial intelligence, extended reality (XR), foundry, AI data centre, next-generation communication, future display, cloud, battery and energy storage (ESS), plant construction and engineering.
According to the South Korean daily newspaper, expanding cooperation between the two companies was discussed over dinner at the Seocho headquarters of Samsung. Those present included Roh Tae-moon, CEO of Samsung Electronics and head of the DX Division; Kim Woo-jun, head of Samsung Electronics’ Network Business Division; Choi Joo-sun, president of Samsung SDI; Lee Joon-hee, president of Samsung SDS; Choi Sung-an, vice chairman of Samsung Heavy Industries; Oh Se-chul, president of Samsung C&T; Namgoong Hong, president of Samsung E&A; and Lee Jae-eon, president of Samsung C&T’s trading division.
Mukesh Ambani will also visit Samsung’s Giheung and Hwaseong campuses. Giheung, where Samsung’s semiconductor business began in 1983, was the site of the world’s first 64-megabyte DRAM development in 1992. Hwaseong now represents the future of the company’s chipmaking, housing its advanced foundry operations. Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun, who oversees Samsung’s semiconductor division, is expected to greet Mukesh Ambani there.
“Ambani and his son originally planned to tour the network division at Samsung’s Suwon site, but the itinerary was later changed to showcase Samsung’s legacy,” a Samsung official said. “Chairman Lee is said to have finalised the visit schedule himself”.
Reliance Group Chairman Mukesh Ambani was briefed about the status of business by executives of major affiliates like Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, Samsung SDI, Samsung C&T, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung E&A, and Samsung Human Resources Development Center. Ambani also reportedly experienced new technologies, including the extended reality (XR) headset ‘Galaxy XR’ and a micro RGB colour display.
The Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Group is expanding its existing chemical and distribution-focused business into the information and communications technology (ICT) sector and is also pursuing the construction of the world’s largest AI data centre in India. For Samsung, this marks the arrival of a major partner in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), telecommunications, displays, and construction.
Samsung has maintained a partnership by supplying 4G (fourth-generation mobile communication) network equipment to Reliance Jio in 2012, and 5G equipment in 2022. A Samsung official stated that “Samsung and Reliance have maintained a close relationship since the time of the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee”.
Samsung is going all out to treat its VIP guests with utmost courtesy. The company has planned a tightly packed 14-hour schedule. One of Ambani’s stops was the Samsung Innovation Museum at the company’s Suwon complex, the world’s largest electronics industry museum and a frequent destination for foreign dignitaries. Notably, Roh Tae-moon, head of Samsung’s DX division overseeing mobile and consumer electronics, will personally guide Ambani through the museum, a Samsung official said.
This was the first meeting between Samsung Chairman Lee and Reliance Group Chairman Mukesh Ambai since July last year, when they attended the wedding of Chairman Ambani’s youngest son, Anant Ambani, in Mumbai, almost two years ago. Samsung Chairman Lee has reportedly maintained a close relationship, having been invited to and attended the weddings of Chairman Ambani’s eldest daughter, Isha Ambani, in 2018, and his eldest son, Akash Ambani, in 2019.
(UNI)
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