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[News] Samsung Leadership Change, Young Hyun Jun to Head Device Solutions Division


2024-05-21 Semiconductors editor

On May 21st, Samsung Electronics announced that Young Hyun Jun will take over as the head of the Device Solutions (DS) division, replacing the current leader, Kyung Kye-Hyun, who will now lead the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) and the Future Business Division, overseeing the company’s global operations of the Memory, System LSI and Foundry business units.

Young Hyun Jun initially joined Samsung Electronics in 2000, focusing on the development and strategic marketing of DRAM and flash memory. He has been in charge of the memory business since 2014, served as CEO of Samsung SDI, the battery division, in 2017, and led the Future Business Division starting in 2024.

In the press release, Samsung expressed confidence that Young Hyun Jun will strengthen its competitiveness amid an uncertain global business environment.

Upon approval by the board of directors and shareholders, Young Hyun Jun will also be appointed as CEO of Samsung. Samsung employs a dual CEO system, with one CEO responsible for the semiconductor division and the other for the device experience division, which includes the mobile and visual display business groups.

At the time of this personnel announcement, Samsung is striving to catch up with its competitor SK Hynix in the AI memory sector. SK Hynix currently leads the market for high bandwidth memory (HBM), a crucial component for AI computing. SK Hynix previously stated that its HBM production capacity for this year and next year is already sold out.

TrendForce has analyzed that the current HBM3 supply for NVIDIA’s H100 solution is primarily met by SK hynix, leading to a supply shortfall in meeting burgeoning AI market demands. Samsung’s entry into NVIDIA’s supply chain with its 1Znm HBM3 products in late 2023, though initially minor, signifies its breakthrough in this segment.

Whether Samsung, led by Young Hyun Jun with his extensive memory experience, can regain ground in its competition with SK Hynix is under close observation.

Per a report from Reuters, a source has noted that since Samsung’s personnel changes typically occur at the beginning of the year, it is unusual to replace a high-ranking executive like this in the middle of the year.

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(Photo credit: Samsung)

Please note that this article cites information from Samsung Electronics and Reuters.

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