As part of its strategic adjustment, Samsung Electronics is slowing down the development of automotive semiconductors and focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) chips. This transformation occurred in the context of broader trends in the AI industry and the latest developments such as ChatGPT, which greatly impacted Samsung's chip design strategy.
According to reports, Samsung's system LSI department responsible for chip design has recently undergone business and organizational restructuring, prioritizing AI chip development. This restructuring has led to a reconsideration of the next-generation automotive processor "Exynos Auto" (code name KITT3). The personnel in the department who were previously responsible for the chip have been reassigned to the AI SoC team, which is now the focus of Samsung's design work. At present, the department has gathered 100 to 150 professional designers responsible for AI chip design.
Samsung Electronics' journey into the high-performance automotive semiconductor market began in 2018 when the company announced the launch of the Exynos Auto brand. Last year, Samsung launched the Exynos Auto V920 chip using 5nm technology and announced a semiconductor partnership with Hyundai Motor Corporation, demonstrating its commitment to the era of autonomous driving and electric vehicles.
However, since the end of 2022, the rise of AI and developments such as ChatGPT have prompted Samsung to revise its chip design strategy. The recent phenomenon of the electric vehicle divide - a temporary slowdown in demand before large-scale adoption, and global automakers such as Hyundai and Tesla developing their own chips - has also affected Samsung's strategic shift.
An official from Samsung Electronics stated that "the details of the company's organizational restructuring have not yet been finalized." This indicates that although the focus on AI chip development is clear, the specific details of the restructuring are still being formulated.
