LG Display to boost capex as OLED sales top 60%

LG Display plans to raise capital expenditure this year to the mid- to upper-2 trillion won range, more than 1 trillion won above the 1.4 trillion won ($947.1 million) it spent in 2025, as the South Korean panel-maker steps up OLED-focused investment. In its 2025 annual report filed Wednesday, LG Display said it spent 1.4 trillion won on facilities to expand production capacity for differentiated products, including organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, panels. For 2026, it said spending will i

March 12, 2026

Why Korean memory giants aren't rushing to expand DRAM supply

The world suddenly cannot get enough memory chips. Artificial intelligence data centers are consuming unprecedented volumes of DRAM, pushing prices higher and squeezing supply for everything from smartphones to laptops. The two companies at the center of that boom, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, earned more than 72.1 trillion won ($48.7 billion) in operating profit last year. And yet the shortage continues. The question seems obvious. If demand is booming and profits are soaring, why not simp

March 12, 2026

Samsung Electro-Mechanics brings 200MP continuous zoom to Xiaomi flagship

Samsung Electro-Mechanics has begun mass production of a 200-megapixel continuous optical zoom camera module, with the technology debuting in Xiaomi’s latest flagship smartphone, according to the company’s 2025 business report released Tuesday. The Korean electronic components manufacturer said the module supports continuous optical zoom from 3.2x to 4.3x. The design allows a smartphone camera to maintain true optical image quality while zooming across a range rather than switching between fixed

March 11, 2026

Korean AI chip startups ramp up hiring as new processors near launch

South Korea’s leading AI chip startups are sharply expanding their workforces as the sector enters a critical phase: commercializing next-generation processors designed to run artificial intelligence services. Industry sources and data from Korean startup investment database TheVC show that four prominent Korean AI fabless firms — Rebellions, DeepX, Mobilint and FuriosaAI — have significantly increased headcount over the past year as their latest chips move toward initial mass production or cust

March 10, 2026

LG CNS takes stake in Silicon Valley robot startup Dexmate

LG CNS has taken a stake in Silicon Valley robotics startup Dexmate as the Korean technology services company moves to deploy humanoid robots in industrial workplaces such as warehouses and factories. The investment, announced Tuesday, was made through LG Technology Ventures, the venture capital arm of LG Group. Financial terms were not disclosed. Dexmate, based in Santa Clara, California, develops mobile humanoid robots designed for logistics and manufacturing environments. According to LG CNS,

March 10, 2026

Lee Se-dol returns to build with AI, not battle it

Ten years after his historic game against Google DeepMind’s AlphaGo transformed global perceptions of artificial intelligence, Go legend Lee Se-dol returned to the same venue. This time, the encounter was not a contest between human and machine but a demonstration of how the two might work together. The event held at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul in central Seoul was organized by Korean AI startup Enhans, which showcased a system designed to coordinate multiple AI “agents” to carry out complex ta

March 9, 2026

Samsung pushes Exynos 2700 to cut Qualcomm reliance

Samsung Electronics is moving quickly on its next flagship smartphone chip, preparing production-ready samples of the Exynos 2700 by midyear as the company seeks to expand the use of its own processors in future Galaxy devices and reduce reliance on Qualcomm. Industry sources said this week that Samsung aims to complete production-ready samples of the Exynos 2700 between May and June. The chip is widely expected to power a significant portion of the Galaxy S27 lineup scheduled for release early

March 7, 2026

Google reportedly in Korea data center talks after map data approval

Google is reportedly in discussions with South Korean telecom operator LG Uplus over a data center partnership, according to industry sources cited by Korean media Thursday, as the company works to comply with conditions attached to Seoul's landmark approval of high-precision map data exports last week. LG Uplus told The Korea Herald that there was nothing it could officially confirm. Google Korea did not respond to inquiries, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it had no

March 7, 2026

Search built Naver. Now AI commerce may define its future

Type “sofa” into Naver’s shopping app these days, and something different happens. Instead of a grid of product listings, an AI agent asks questions. Do you live alone? Do you have pets? It notices browsing patterns suggesting a dog in the household and recommends waterproof fabrics and scratch-resistant materials. Then it proposes a specific product: a three-seat Aquatex sofa from Carrem Furniture, discounted 41 percent to 347,000 won ($235), rated 4.74 stars. Ask it to compare brands, and it i

March 4, 2026

KT shifts 6G focus from speed to AI, satellite integration

KT used Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week to make one point clear: It sees 6G less as a speed upgrade and more as a strategic reset built around AI and satellite-linked coverage. At a press briefing on Tuesday, the Korean telecom operator said it plans to design 6G as an “intelligent infrastructure” for the artificial intelligence era, focusing on network reliability, automation and wider geographic reach rather than headline download speeds. “6G goes beyond a new radio specification

March 3, 2026