Will SK, Samsung join hands on AI?

Speculation is growing of a possible artificial intelligence alliance between SK Group and Samsung Electronics after SK Chairman Chey Tae-won reportedly requested a deeper discussion with Samsung's mobile business chief Roh Tae-moon during their meeting at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week. On Monday, the opening day of the world's largest gathering of the mobile tech industry, Chey's first MWC destination was Samsung's exhibition booth, where he explored the t

Feb. 27, 2024

SKT-led global AI alliance to form JV

A global alliance led by South Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom agreed to establish a joint venture within the year to develop large language models tailored to the needs of telecommunications companies. The Global Telco AI Alliance, which was launched in Seoul in July last year, held its inaugural meeting at the Mobile World Congress 2024, the world’s largest mobile tech show, in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday, with SoftBank joining as a new member. The key attendees of Monday’s meetin

Feb. 26, 2024

Samsung joins global AI-RAN alliance to lead 6G technology

Samsung Electronics said Monday it has formed an alliance with global Big Tech firms to research sixth-generation technology and create an ecosystem through the convergence of artificial intelligence and wireless communication technologies. The AI-RAN alliance was officially launched at the Mobile World Congress 2024, the world’s largest mobile tech show, in Barcelona, Spain, earlier in the day, with 10 telecommunications and software companies and one university as its founding members. B

Feb. 26, 2024

Zuckerberg to discuss developing mixed reality headset with LG chief

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, formerly Facebook, is expected to meet with LG Electronics CEO Cho Joo-wan to discuss joint development of an advanced mixed reality headset, according to industry sources on Monday. LG Electronics said it is currently arranging a meeting of the two leaders, as Zuckerberg is planned to visit Seoul this week. "We are currently arranging the meeting, but nothing has been decided yet," an LG official said. While details of his trip is unknown, the most likely

Feb. 26, 2024

[Photo News] Urban air mobility

Visitors try out KT's Urban Air Mobility service at MWC 2024, which kicked off in Barcelona, Spain, Monday. At this year's connectivity tech show, the mobile carrier showed off its air mobility technologies and services, including Urban Air Traffic Management system, and 5G service Skypath. (KT)

Feb. 26, 2024

Tech firms to unveil AI innovations at MWC

With the opening of the world’s largest mobile tech show just a day away, South Korea’s major telecommunications firms SK Telecom and KT Corp., and Samsung Electronics, are poised to showcase their latest artificial intelligence technologies and services. Samsung said Sunday it would unveil the Galaxy Ring, the tech giant’s first wearable health tracker in the form of a ring, for the first time at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, following its teaser at the

Feb. 25, 2024

Resignations at Google Cloud Korea spark concern

Resignations continue at Google Cloud Korea as three chiefs so far have left their posts in the four years after serving as short as 10 months amid its grappling market share, according to industry sources on Sunday. As Kang Hyoung-jun, managing director of Google Cloud Korea, who took office in April and left the company last week, Google Cloud reportedly named Chi Ki-sung, head of SAP practice at its Asia-Pacific office as the next chief, the sources said. A Google Cloud official confirmed Kan

Feb. 25, 2024

Tech rivals eye big VR bets despite mixed reviews of Apple’s Vision Pro

Less than a month has passed since the high-profile debut of Apple Vision Pro, the most advanced augmented reality headset in the market. Despite mixed reviews, Apple's rivals seem keen to make a similar entry into the brand-new segment. Dazzling demonstrations of the Apple Vision Pro made it look like a game changer, allowing the user to pop up their computer screens in the air, and control it with their fingertips and by moving their eyes around. But some users have been seen returning th

Feb. 23, 2024

Samsung, LG maintain TV leadership amid Chinese rush

Korean TV makers Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics cemented their leadership in the global premium TV market in 2023, but they have been warned to gear up for Chinese rivals flooding the market with cheaper products. In the premium sector for TVs priced at higher than $2,500, Korean manufacturers saw notable growth, together taking 79.6 percent of the market share by revenue, according to market tracker Omdia on Thursday. Holding an edge in manufacturing technology for the higher-end TVs, t

Feb. 22, 2024

Samsung Galaxy smart band Fit3 to hit shelves

Samsung Electronics said Thursday that it would launch a new fitness band globally, more than three years after unveiling its predecessor in October 2020. The Galaxy Fit3 is designed with an aluminum body and a 1.6-inch display, which is 45 percent wider than the previous model, the Galaxy Fit2, making it easier for users to check detailed health insights on the wearable device. The device provides health monitoring features for over 100 types of exercises, sleep and stress levels. The most nota

Feb. 22, 2024

[Photo News] Naver at Saudi tech show

Naver said Wednesday it is set to participate in the upcoming Leading Edge Arab Platforms exhibition, affectionately called the Saudi Arabian version of the CES, the world's largest tech show. Naver will join at the invitation of Saudi Arabian Communications and Information Technology Minister Abdullah Alswaha, who visited Naver's second headquarters 1784 in October. Under the theme of "Global Tech Convergence Company," the IT giant will set up an exhibition booth and boast t

Feb. 21, 2024

Samsung, UK's Arm team up to produce advanced AI chips

Samsung Foundry, Samsung Electronics' chip manufacturing arm, is teaming up with the UK's Arm to adopt the firm's design assets for Samsung's most advanced chip-making process technology, Gate-All-Around, which aims to boost the company's edge in the global AI chip sector. Samsung Foundry announced Wednesday that it will deliver the next generation Arm Cortex™-X CPU optimized on its cutting-edge Gaa process technology. The collaboration between the two companies is

Feb. 21, 2024

Samsung chief's return to board pushed back as trial continues

More than a year has passed since Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong ascended to the company's top seat in 2022, but his board membership continues to hang in the balance amid an ongoing legal dispute. Samsung Electronics held a board of directors meeting Tuesday and fixed the date of the upcoming general shareholders meetings for March 20. During the meeting, the members also appointed Shin Je-yoon, former Financial Services Commission chairman, and Cho Hye-kyung, an applied artific

Feb. 20, 2024

LG Innotek develops new camera module for self-driving cars

LG Innotek said Tuesday it has developed a cutting-edge direct-heating camera module designed for autonomous vehicles, which can quickly remove frost and snow from the lens. The latest module is an optimized version of the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems cameras, equipped with a heater to promote safe autonomous driving, especially during extremely cold weather conditions. An increasing number of automakers consider direct-heating cameras essential products for ensuring safe driving, as obstr

Feb. 20, 2024

SK Telecom, NTT Docomo unveil white paper on vRAN

SK Telecom said Tuesday that it has jointly released a technical white paper with Japan's No. 1 mobile operator, NTT Docomo, for the adoption of the virtualized Radio Access Network. The joint white paper, titled “Key Considerations for vRAN,” marks two years of cooperation on the metaverse, mobile network infrastructure and media business since the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding in November 2022. VRAN, a technology that incorporates various network functions

Feb. 20, 2024

Samsung’s foldable display boasts US military-grade durability

Samsung Display on Monday said its foldable panel for smartphones has passed the US military’s material durability test, proving its strength in withstanding the harsh conditions of operational and combat zones. According to the display maker, its 7-inch foldable panel used in the latest foldable smartphones passed the MIL-STD 810G test, which is the US Department of Defense's military standard. First developed as a certification for equipment and materials for military applications,

Feb. 19, 2024

Daewoong completes AI-based drug development system

South Korean pharmaceutical giant Daewoong Pharmaceutical said Monday that it has completed a new drug development system that secures drug candidates based on artificial intelligence technology. It created a collection of 800 million preprocessed molecular models, called Daewoong Advanced Virtual Database, or DAVID, and a separate AI system, called Daewoong AI System, or DAVIS, to nurture new drug candidates throughout the preclinical, clinical and commercialization phases. Daewoong said the ex

Feb. 19, 2024

Korean telcos to show off latest AI tech at MWC

Korea’s leading telecommunication firms are to showcase their latest artificial intelligence technologies and services at the upcoming MWC Barcelona 2024, the world’s largest connectivity show slated for next week in Spain. The country’s top two mobile carriers SK Telecom and KT revealed their plans Sunday to set up showrooms at this year's event running from Feb. 26 to 29, with exhibitions mainly focused on AI and next-generation 5G and 6G connectivity. LG Uplus, Korea�

Feb. 18, 2024

SK-backed Sapeon to develop on-device AI chip

Sapeon, a fabless startup backed by South Korean telecom-to-chip conglomerate SK Group, said Friday it would develop a new semiconductor optimized for on-device artificial intelligence as the market has been witnessing significant growth in recent years. The company said it was selected to get support to develop prototypes for commercializing AI chips with edge AI, IoT and embedded computing firm Advantech Korea under the project dubbed Compass, run by the state-run government research institu

Feb. 16, 2024

Kakao posts record annual sales of W8.1tr in 2023

Kakao said Thursday it logged all-time high annual sales in 2023 due to increased profitability from its mobile messenger, KakaoTalk. The IT giant reported 8.11 trillion won ($6.08 billion) in sales last year, up 14.1 percent from a year earlier. It marks the first time for the company surpassing the 8 trillion won mark in annual sales. Annual net profit, however, fell 13.5 percent on-year to 501.9 billion won and it shifted to a net loss of 1.5 trillion won, from a net profit of 1.07 trillion w

Feb. 15, 2024