Samsung to debut artificial human Neon at CES 2020: reports

Samsung Electronics is expected to unveil another artificial intelligence platform, named “Neon,” at the Consumer Electronics Show next month, according to reports on Monday. It was developed by Samsung Technology and Advanced Research Lab, based in the United States, under the leadership of the unit’s President Pranav Mistry, the youngest executive at Samsung. Neon is likely to be introduced as a new AI platform of Samsung. A recent tweet on the unit’s official Twitter a

Dec. 30, 2019

S. Korea to expand AI-related investment in 2020

South Korea's science ministry said Sunday that it will inject 76.1 billion won ($65.6 million) into its artificial intelligence hub program in 2020 as part of an ongoing effort to bolster the country's competitiveness in the sector.The reading marks a more than two-fold increase from 31 billion won allocated for this year and more than an eight-fold surge compared with 9.2 billion won spent in 2018 when Seoul launched the endeavor.  The ministry's AI hub is an open portal that can be used

Dec. 29, 2019

Seoul to expand innovative drone development in 2020

South Korea's science ministry said Sunday it will allocate 26.9 billion won ($23.2 million) in 2020 to further expand the country's innovative drone capabilities.Of the total, 13 billion won will be used to secure original technologies, with 6.7 billion won to go drones that make use of 5G and artificial intelligence technologies, the Ministry of Science and ICT said. It said funds will also be set aside for public procurement. The amount to be spent in the new year is up 94 percent from 13.9 b

Dec. 29, 2019

No spat at upcoming CES 2020?

While the market was anticipating another face-off between Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show 2020, it now seems highly unlikely.According to industry sources, the Consumer Technology Association, which organizes the world’s largest annual tech event in Las Vegas, has specific terms in the exhibit space contract that prevent companies from giving presentations on products of rival firms, as well as from displaying offensive and inappropriate co

Dec. 26, 2019

[Monitor] Companies increase R&D investments by W4tr

Despite seeing a drop in revenue this year, South Korean companies increased their investment for research and development by nearly 4 trillion won combined, data by CEO Score showed this week.Internet and IT companies were among the most active in research investments, as were pharmaceutical firms.(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Dec. 26, 2019

Conglomerates’ R&D investments rise 11% despite lower sales

South Korea’s large businesses increased investment in research and development by around 11 percent throughout the year despite declines in sales, according to data from a local market tracker released Wednesday. The aggregate investments of 211 major companies stood at 39.2 trillion won ($33.7 billion) as of the third quarter, up 11.3 percent from the 35.2 percent recorded during the same period last year, showed a report from corporate researcher CEO Score. The 211 firms are among the c

Dec. 25, 2019

LG to debut connected car platform with global tech giants at CES 2020

LG Electronics said Wednesday it will debut its connected car platform -- built in collaboration with multiple global tech companies -- for the first time at the Consumer Electronics Show 2020 that kicks off in Las Vegas on Jan.7. The South Korean tech giant is going to demonstrate the latest version of Linux-based car infotainment platform webOS Auto that it has been working on with Qualcomm, Microsoft, Qt and Luxoft. The company will exhibit a connected car model co-designed by automotive seat

Dec. 25, 2019

Mobile carriers ready for spike in year-end data usage

South Korea’s mobile carriers are busy preparing to counter an expected surge in data traffic during the year-end season, the companies said Wednesday.  Now is usually the time when mobile carriers experience a dramatic increase in data usage, including voice calls, particularly in locations where many people gather to celebrate.Whenever large numbers of people occupy the same space at the same time, data traffic tends to increase accordingly, said officials from the mobile carriers.T

Dec. 25, 2019

[Monitor] TV market to see growth in 2020

The global TV market that has seen lackluster sales this year due to the US-China trade dispute and overall market downturn is expected to pick up next year, according to industry watchers.TV sales usually peak in even-number years when major sports events are held. Tokyo Summer Olympics 2020 is scheduled for July-August.According to global market research firm IHS Market, the delivery and sales of TVs worldwide in 2020 are expected to grow by 4 percent and 2 percent on-year, respectively.South

Dec. 24, 2019

LG Chem mulls spinoff of EV battery biz: report

LG Chem is mulling a slew of measures to bolster its electric vehicle battery business, including a plan to spin off the battery unit next year, according to a news report Tuesday. The report said an internal task force at LG Chem is currently operating with a schedule to spin off the battery business division as a subsidiary of the LG affiliate by July. In response, LG Chem said, “The company is considering various measures in order to enhance competitiveness and value of the battery busi

Dec. 24, 2019

Samsung Display becomes largest shareholder of Dowoo Insys

Samsung Display, the sole supplier of foldable displays for Samsung Electronics, has acquired majority stake in ultrathin glass substrate firm Dowoo Insys as part of its plan to secure adequate supplies, according to industry sources Tuesday. The subsidiary of Samsung Group purchased 600,000 shares of Dowoo Insys for 13.5 billion won ($11.6 million) last week through a collaborative fund with Samsung Venture Investment Corp., making it the largest shareholder with a total of 27.7 percent stake.

Dec. 24, 2019

Zoo without animals: SKT promotes animal protection with VR, AR

Addressing the need to protect endangered animals, SK Telecom on Monday released its latest campaign to promote the concept of a zoo without animals using its advanced media technologies. Adopting “mixed reality” -- a combination of virtual reality and augmented reality -- the video campaign depicts a father of a family bringing a polar bear to life using 5G for his son. The images use realistic rendering to mimic the lifelike fluff of the animal and environmental rendering that refl

Dec. 23, 2019

CES 2020 promises to showcase exciting future mobile tech

The Consumer Electronics Show -- the world’s largest annual tech event -- is usually a platform to showcase next-generation TVs, refrigerators and washing machines, but the latest edition will see brand new smartphones in the limelight, according to industry sources Monday. CES 2020 that will kick off in Las Vegas on Jan. 7 and is slated to offer a glimpse of future smartphones, which will make their first appearances at the show. 　Led by Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, around 400

Dec. 23, 2019

Nexon touts V4 as watershed in MMORPG market

Nexon said Sunday its latest mobile role-playing game V4 will be a turning point in the market with increasing fans of the seamless combating experience enjoying duets on its unique server system. Standing for “Victory For,” V4 is a classic MMORPG with characters whose looks can be customized. Since its launch in November, the game has topped game rankings by revenue. On Nov. 9, it rose to become the bestselling app on Apple’s App Store, and as of Sunday, it was in third place

Dec. 22, 2019

Korean tech giants to showcase advanced AI for life at CES 2020

South Korean tech companies said Sunday they are gearing up for the Consumer Electronics Show 2020 in Las Vegas slated for January, making all-out efforts to showcase how far their artificial intelligence technologies have advanced with the ability to make life much easier. LG Electronics is putting its AI platform ThinQ at the forefront of its exhibition at the event with a plan to introduce a seamless lifestyle with the help of advanced solutions making users feel homey anywhere. Under the mai

Dec. 22, 2019

Samsung apologizes for union busting

Samsung Electronics and its de facto holding company Samsung C&T on Wednesday released a statement that included a public apology for the conglomerate’s efforts to disrupt the formation of trade unions at some of its affiliates. The apology was made one day after a Seoul court handed down jail terms to key executives of the electronics unit, including Lee Sang-hoon, Samsung Electronics’ chairman of board, and Chung Keum-yong, CEO of Samsung C&T. “The company acknowledge

Dec. 18, 2019

Samsung to churn out 14-nm AI chips for China’s Baidu

Samsung Electronics said Wednesday it will start churning out artificial intelligence accelerators for China’s leading internet engine operator Baidu early next year. The South Korean tech giant and Baidu have worked together to develop the cloud-to-edge AI accelerator, dubbed as Baidu Kunlun, built on the Chinese firm’s neural processor architecture as well as Samsung’s 14-nanometer process technology with its proprietary Interposer-Cube package solution. Known as I-Cube techn

Dec. 18, 2019

Samsung VP gets jail term for attempting to break up labor union

A Seoul court handed a jail term to a Samsung executive on Friday for attempting to break up a labor union at Everland, an amusement park run by the country's biggest conglomerate.The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the Samsung Electronics Co. vice president, Kang Kyung-hoon, to 1 year and four months in prison for obstruction of business and breaching labor union-related laws. Kang was not taken into custody so he can lodge an appeal.The court also sentenced a former Everland execut

Dec. 13, 2019

Samsung denies selling 1 mln Galaxy Fold smartphones

Samsung Electronics on Friday denied media reports that the company has sold one million Galaxy Fold smartphones globally since the device's launch in September.Samsung Electronics President Sohn Young-kwon said at a conference organized by U.S. tech media TechCrunch that the South Korean tech giant has sold 1 million Galaxy Folds so far, double the industry's earlier estimate.But a Samsung spokesman said Sohn may have confused the figure with the company's initial sales target for the year, emp

Dec. 13, 2019

9 former, current KT executives shortlisted for next chairman post

Nine candidates have been shortlisted for the position of next chairman of KT, South Korea’s second-largest mobile carrier said Friday. KT’s board of directors said late Thursday it had finalized a short list of nine candidates -- including three current KT executives and four former executives -- and announced the names of eight candidates. KT has not revealed the profile of one candidate upon the person’s request. The incumbent KT executives are Koo Hyun-mo, head of customer

Dec. 13, 2019