Samsung, SK hynix suffer setbacks in Q1 chip sales

Korean chipmakers saw their sales of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips drop in the first quarter of the year due mainly to falling prices and increased competition.According to the data compiled by industry tracker DRAMeXchange, Samsung Electronics, Korea's top chipmaker, logged sales of $3.97 billion in the January-March period, down 16.6 percent from $4.76 billion the previous quarter.SK hynix posted sales of $2.32 billion in the first quarter, also down 19.2 percent from $2.86 billion

May 19, 2016

Samsung’s leukemia victim urges Banolim to end fight for its own survival

A former Samsung Electronics worker who contracted leukemia after working at the company’s chip plant, urged Banolim, an advocacy group that has led related compensations talks, to stop its politically-intended fight and take more care of cancer-stricken victims and their families. “About 150 people have applied to get compensations and some 110 of them have been compensated. We think the compensation process is nearing its end,” Kim Eun-kyung said Wednesday in her message posted on a Samsung we

May 18, 2016

[Photo News] KT GiGA IoT Smart Center

KT on Wednesday opened its GiGA IoT Smart Center, a control tower that monitors the telecom carrier’s Internet of Things services, at a regional office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. (KT)

May 18, 2016

Samsung Pay sees surge in transaction volume

Tech giant Samsung Electronics said Wednesday that its mobile payment system Samsung Pay has surpassed the 1 trillion-won ($847 million) mark in transaction volume in South Korea. First launched in the nation in August last year, the mobile payment system which is available on Samsung’s high-end smartphones, including the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, has seen constant growth in its number of subscribers due to robust sales of the smartphones. Models pose with Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S7 smartphones

May 18, 2016

SK C&C sets up AI business division

SK Holdings C&C, the information technology solutions unit of SK Group, said Wednesday it has revamped its organization to renew commitment to its new growth engine businesses such as artificial intelligence and cloud services. The company said it has set up two new business divisions “Cloud Z” and “Aibril” that were named after its new brands for cloud and AI businesses, respectively.  (Yonhap)The company also launched a new “Digital Marketing Division” that supports its clients in better using

May 18, 2016

[Photo News] Samsung mirror display

Samsung Electronics’ 55-inch mirror displays are installed Wednesday at a hair shop in Seoul. The high-tech display offers customized consultations for hair styling as well as improved viewing angles. Samsung plans to launch related display products from the third quarter this year. (Samsung Electronics)

May 18, 2016

Korean start-up aims to dominate space for smartphone lock screens

An old habit sometimes becomes an inspiration for inventors or entrepreneurs to make achievements. For John Lee, the chief executive of reward-based mobile advertising platform operator Buzzvil, note-taking is a habit that has long served as a driving force behind his successful entrepreneurship which started early in his life.The CEO, a voluminous note-taker since he was grade school student, keeps more than 3,000 pieces of paper, on which he scribbled down his ideas and thoughts, at his home.J

May 18, 2016

Cymechs to develop AI robot with Singaporean company

Cymechs Inc., a producer of semiconductor robots, on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore’s Creative Robots to jointly develop artificial intelligence robots.Cymech CEO Bae Do-in said the two companies’ collaborative project, the revamped educational robot “Alpha,” will have more than 200 facial expressions, unlike its prototype that only transmitted information through a rectangular black-and-white display panel.  Cymech CEO Bae Do-in (Cymech Website)Bae stressed the new A

May 17, 2016

Samsung acquires stakes in five start-ups in Q1

Samsung Electronics has newly acquired stakes in five start-ups in the first quarter of this year as part of its ongoing efforts to elevate its software prowess.According to its quarterly report filed Monday, the five firms include SensiFree (15.09 percent), Unispectral (7.76 percent), Zyomed (2.17 percent), Keyssa (2.06 percent) and Bot Home Automation (0.99 percent).Samsung’s digital city complex in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province (Samsung Electronics)Even though the total spending, worth about 10 bi

May 17, 2016

Samsung, LG vie at IT trade show

Tech giants Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are currently showcasing their technical prowess at the World IT Show, an IT trade fair that kicked off in Seoul on Tuesday.Consumers are able to see top-of-the-line products by the two companies during the event, the companies said.Models pose with Samsung Electronics’ virtual reality headset at the firm’s exhibition venue at the World IT Show trade fair that kicked off in Seoul on Tuesday. (Samsung Electronics)The two tech giants are in fierce

May 17, 2016

Qualcomm names new CEO of Korean office

U.S.-based chipmaker Qualcomm said Tuesday that it has promoted Lee Te-won, the head of Qualcomm Korea’s R&D center as the president of its Korean office.The newly appointed president founded audio solutions start-up SoftMax in 2002, which was acquired by the chip company in 2007. Since the takeover, Lee has been working for the chipmaker’s research and development center.Lee Te-won, new president of the Korean office of U.S. chipmaker QualcommBefore joining Qualcomm, Lee served as a neural comp

May 17, 2016

Samsung C&T stocks plunge as lower demand hits bottom line

Shares in Samsung C&T have been on a downward curve since September when a merger of two major Samsung Group affiliates generated the construction-to-fashion holding company for Samsung Group, analysts said Tuesday.They attributed the fall largely to the company's drop in overseas orders and sluggish domestic demand for the construction, fashion and resort sectors.Samsung C&T, newly created on Sept. 1 last year through a merger between a construction and fashion unit of the same name and Cheil I

May 17, 2016

Intel widens lead over Samsung in chip sales: report

Samsung Electronics, Korea's top tech giant, suffered "zero" growth in its chip sales in the first quarter of the year, while its U.S. rival Intel posted an 8.7-percent jump, a report showed Tuesday.The divergence has enabled Intel to extend its lead over Samsung in the global semiconductor industry, according to IC Insights.The market research firm released an updated list of the world's top 20 semiconductor suppliers. The 20 companies' combined sales decreased 6 percent on-year in the first th

May 17, 2016

Samsung SDS, IBM to develop security solutions for energy firms

Samsung SDS and IBM have joined hands to roll out security solutions tailored for energy and utility businesses, the companies said Monday. The strategic alliance is in line with IBM’s efforts to increase its presence in Korea’s security solutions market.Han Sung-won(left), vice president of Samsung SDS’s cybersecurity team, Roman Tuma, the head of the Asian-Pacific sales team of IBM, pose after signing a partnership deal in Seoul on Monday. (IBM)Samsung SDS, which has been producing and managin

May 16, 2016

[Photo News] LG meet Dodgers

LA Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (left) takes a selfie with a baseball fan during a promotional event for LG Electronics’ G5 smartphone at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday. (LG)

May 16, 2016

LG to spin off two venture firms

LG Electronics said Monday it has decided to spin off two venture firms that have carried out separate projects under the leadership of its chief technology officer. Starting with the two firms -- Acanvas and Infit&Company -- the Korean tech giant said it will continue to encourage the start-up spirit among employees and nurture their creative ideas into businesses. Acanvas’ digital frame (LG Electronics)Acanvas has developed a rechargeable electronics frame that displays digitalized works of ar

May 16, 2016

OLED iPhone renews competition among display makers

Apple’s adoption of an organic-light emitting diode screen is renewing competition among display makers. According to recent news reports, Samsung has signed a deal with Apple to supply an annual 100 million OLED panels from the second quarter of next year for three years. “For now, Samsung is the only company that meets Apple’s strict product criteria. But considering its strategy of having multiple suppliers, LG and other display makers could share a fraction of the orders,” said Yi Choong-hoo

May 15, 2016

Messaging app LINE tops Google Play Store sales rankings

LINE, the mobile messaging app of South Korean portal giant NAVER, has beaten its rivals in sales of applications available on Google Play Store for the past four years, a global industry tracker said Friday. In the four years up to March this year, the Korean messaging app topped others in the Google Play app worldwide revenue rankings. It took the top three spots due to robust sales of games, cartoon content and avatar apps, according to a report from App Annie, a U.S.-based app analytics comp

May 13, 2016

Korea to showcase ICT power in PyeongChang Olympics

The South Korean government on Friday said it is gearing up to roll out a set of cutting-edge information, communication and technology systems to support the successful hosting of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.Automatic translation services, based on artificial intelligence, will be offered in seven languages, including English, Chinese and French, in real time for athletes and visitors to the event to be held in the Gangwon Province town, according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Fu

May 13, 2016