SEOUL, November 01 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong visited the company's advanced semiconductor packaging research facility in Japan on Sunday, underscoring efforts to strengthen chip technology and deepen cooperation with Japanese materials and equipment suppliers.
Lee inspected Samsung's Advanced Package Lab (APL) in Yokohama, which officially opened on Sept. 8, and reviewed progress in developing next-generation packaging materials and manufacturing processes, the company said.
During the visit, Lee met with researchers to discuss technological developments and potential partnerships with Japanese suppliers, emphasizing the importance of advanced packaging in securing competitiveness in the AI semiconductor market.
Samsung established APL in 2023 and has committed 40 billion yen (about $260 million) over five years beginning in 2024 to build its research capabilities in Japan.
The facility serves as a research hub connecting Samsung's semiconductor design and manufacturing expertise with Japan's established ecosystem of chip materials, components and equipment suppliers.
Its research scope is expected to expand to next-generation technologies including wafer bonding and glass substrates, as well as new packaging architectures designed to support high-performance, energy-efficient AI chips.
Advanced packaging has become increasingly critical as AI processors integrate graphics processing units, high-bandwidth memory and other chips into a single package, making interconnection technology a key factor in computing performance, power efficiency and heat management.
Samsung plans to expand its research workforce in Yokohama and develop the facility into a global research and development hub, working closely with its existing semiconductor packaging research teams in South Korea.
Japan's concentration of semiconductor materials and equipment makers, along with its research institutions and government support for the chip industry, makes it a strategic location for Samsung's technology development efforts.
The visit marked Lee's first inspection of the facility since its official opening nearly two months ago.
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