Samsung is a South Korean electronics and semiconductor company whose business spans memory chips, TVs, appliances and contract chipmaking. Recent coverage has centered on AI-driven memory demand: its 2027 HBM capacity is sold out, quarterly operating profit was expected to jump 780%, and it is expanding a large chip complex in Pyeongtaek. Other stories include OpenAI saying its next-generation chips could be made at Samsung, and firmware issues affecting TVs and fridges.
Tech Rally Stalls as Alphabet, Samsung DisappointDisappointing earnings from Alphabet and Samsung halted this week's global tech stock rally and revived doubts over whether billions of dollars in AI spending will deliver sufficient returns.
Microsoft to end Copilot support on all TVs this yearMicrosoft will stop supporting Copilot functionality on all TVs this year, ending the access LG and Samsung added to their smart TVs at CES 2025, per Windows Central. The news came from an on-screen notice on an LG webOS TV rather than an official statement from Microsoft or the manufacturers.
Hacker reverse-engineers Samsung TV, finds on-board AI listeningA Hacker News thread describes a hacker reversing a Samsung TV and finding on-board AI that listens, with an OpenAI account reportedly suspended. The case raises privacy and data-security concerns around smart TVs.
Samsung sells out 2027 HBM capacity as memory prices surgeSamsung has sold out 100% of its 2027 HBM capacity, with HBM prices expected to jump 200% next year and DRAM prices to rise by double digits. The memory shortage could raise GPU costs and add pressure to AI compute hardware pricing.
Inside Samsung's Pyeongtaek chip hub as AI drives memory demandSamsung is building a large semiconductor complex in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, where three fabs already run around the clock and a fourth is coming online. Construction of a fifth fab was halted in the 2024 memory downturn and restarted as AI demand surged. The campus is roughly the size of Central Park, with thousands of construction workers on site.
Austin startup aims to move chip data at the speed of lightAustin startup La Luce Cristallina grows ultra-thin crystal layers on silicon wafers for photonic devices that move data with light instead of electrical signals. It says the material could eventually cut device power use by about 100 times; the technology stems from University of Texas research.
Analysis favors SK Hynix over Micron as AI memory stockA Motley Fool piece argues HBM and advanced DRAM are becoming critical to the AI chip chain. Citing Counterpoint Research, it says SK Hynix held 50% of global HBM revenue in Q2, nearly matching Samsung, and the author would pick SK Hynix over Micron as a single five-year AI memory holding.
Samsung expects 780% quarterly operating profit jump on AI boomSamsung expects its quarterly operating profit to jump 780% year over year on the AI boom, reflecting strong AI-driven demand in the chip sector.
Washington Targets Tech Visas as AI Spending Questions PersistThe Trump administration suspended an immigration program for firms including Microsoft, alleging widespread visa abuse. Meanwhile Samsung's quarterly profit jumped and TSMC sales surged, but investors remain concerned about the durability of the AI investment boom.
AMD's Su to Meet Samsung Chip HeadAMD CEO Lisa Su will meet Samsung Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun, who heads its chip division, in South Korea on Wednesday. The meeting comes as memory supply remains tight, underscoring supply-chain pressure on AI chips.
Firmware Update Bricks Samsung Smart Fridges, Spoiling FoodSome Samsung Bespoke AI fridges stopped working Tuesday after a firmware update pushed through SmartThings. Most affected units were four-door models from 2024 or later; the app showed them offline and some displays froze on an update message, leaving owners mourning spoiled food.
Korean AI Startups Go Global; Upstage Climbs OpenRouter RankingsKorean AI startups are expanding globally, with Upstage rising in OpenRouter rankings. Meanwhile, Samsung and SK Hynix joined a strategic investment in Anthropic, and Seoul picked five firms including LG, Naver and SK Telecom to lead its sovereign AI model push.
OpenAI says next-gen chips could be made at SamsungOpenAI says its next-generation processors could be manufactured by Samsung. Double-sourcing alongside TSMC suggests very large volume needs and a focus on production capacity and supply redundancy.
ASML wins TSMC, Samsung, Intel; Huawei pursues alternativesASML convinced TSMC, Samsung and Intel to switch to larger photomasks, which should boost throughput of its newest EUV machines by about 40%. Meanwhile Huawei, via equipment maker Yuliangsheng and its suppliers, is pursuing a domestic strategy to reduce dependence on Dutch lithography technology.
The A.I. Daily