From TV glass to AI fiber: Samsung–Corning alliance enters new phase

Samsung Electronics’ half-century partnership with Corning is entering a new phase — this time powered by artificial intelligence. A sharp rally in Corning’s shares, driven by soaring demand for optical fiber used in AI data centers, has lifted the value of Samsung’s stake in the US materials company by more than 3 trillion won ($2.7 billion). But beyond the paper gains, the surge underscores how a 1970s industrial alliance has evolved into a strategic position in the backbone of the AI economy.

Feb. 24, 2026

Xiaomi targets Samsung Galaxy S26 with Leica-powered 17 Ultra

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is poised to unveil its camera-centric flagship, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, on the global stage, setting up a direct showdown with Samsung’s forthcoming Galaxy S26 series just days after its rival’s own launch event. According to industry sources on Tuesday, Xiaomi will introduce the Xiaomi 17 series at MWC26 in Barcelona on Saturday. Samsung Electronics is set to unveil its Galaxy S26 lineup in San Francisco on Wednesday, placing the launches within the same week. The

Feb. 24, 2026

Supreme Court raises criminal stakes in Samsung chip tech leak

Each step in a coordinated technology theft scheme should be prosecuted as a separate crime in South Korea, the Supreme Court ruled last month, significantly widening criminal exposure in a case involving Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor technology allegedly leaked to China. The court said stealing trade secrets, passing them to an accomplice and using them are not one continuous offense but distinct criminal acts. That conclusion overturns lower court rulings that had treated the entire chain

Feb. 23, 2026

Seoul signals continuity in US trade deal despite tariff ruling

Despite the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, Seoul will "largely maintain" trade conditions related to a prior tariff agreement, government and industry sources said Sunday. Trump responded to the ruling by signing an executive order imposing a new 10 percent global tariff, set to take effect Tuesday. He has also signaled that the rate could be raised to 15 percent, though he has not provided a specific legal basis. In a post on Truth Social

Feb. 22, 2026

Galaxy S26 to bring on-device AI, smarter Bixby and brighter Ultra camera

When Samsung Electronics unveils the Galaxy S26 in San Francisco next week on Thursday, the spotlight is expected to fall on AI that works directly on the phone, a more capable Bixby that adjusts settings in context and a brighter main camera on the Ultra, even as flagship prices rise for the first time in three years. In South Korea, preorders are scheduled for Feb. 27 to March 5, with official sales starting March 11. According to telecom industry sources, the 256GB Galaxy S26 will start at 1.

Feb. 20, 2026

China’s cut-rate DRAM tests Samsung, SK in HBM4 race

Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are locked in a race to mass-produce sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory, but Chinese rivals are making gains elsewhere — flooding the legacy DRAM market with chips priced at roughly half the going rate. According to industry sources on Friday, China’s top DRAM manufacturer CXMT has been offering older-generation DDR4 chips at about half the prevailing market rate. The move comes as global supply shortages have driven prices sharply higher, allowing the compan

Feb. 20, 2026

Samsung verifies 6G candidate-band antenna technology with KT, Keysight

Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it has verified ultra-high-density antenna technology in a key candidate frequency band for future 6G networks in collaboration with Korean telecom operator KT Corp. and U.S. electronics test equipment firm Keysight Technologies Inc. Through outdoor field tests, the companies demonstrated a peak downlink data rate of up to 3 gigabits per second in the 7 gigahertz band, using Xtreme multiple-input multiple-output technology, according to Samsung Electronics. Sa

Feb. 20, 2026

Speed over scale: Samsung pulls ahead with Nvidia’s HBM4

Nvidia is considering a dual-track adoption strategy for high bandwidth memory in its upcoming Vera Rubin AI accelerators, a move that could further cement Samsung Electronics and SK hynix at the top of the global artificial intelligence memory hierarchy, industry sources said Thursday. Under the proposed “dual-bin” structure, HBM4 chips would be divided into two performance tiers. Premium Rubin systems would use memory operating at up to 11.7 gigabits per second, while lower-tier versions would

Feb. 19, 2026

Korea begins rollout of 10,000 Nvidia GPUs under 260,000-unit plan

The Korean government has begun distributing its 10,000-unit share of high-performance Nvidia graphics processing units this month to universities, research institutes and national artificial intelligence projects, marking the first phase of a broader 260,000-GPU supply plan that runs through 2030. The rollout stems from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s announcement last October on expanding AI infrastructure in Korea. The plan calls for about 260,000 GPUs to be supplied by 2030 — 52,000 for the govern

Feb. 19, 2026

Chip complexity to fuel materials surge, says Merck Korea chief

Merck Korea’s top executive sees the semiconductor materials market entering a structural growth phase, driven not only by artificial intelligence but also by emerging fields such as quantum computing and robotics. “The current driving force of the chip industry is AI growth and high-performance computing,” Kim Woo-kyu, managing director of Merck Korea, said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Feb. 13. “In the coming years, quantum computing and robotics will also require large volumes of c

Feb. 18, 2026

Non-listed firms take up nearly 70% of financial AI patent application: report

Nearly 7 out of 10 patent applications filed in South Korea for investment-related artificial intelligence came from non-listed companies and startups, a report showed Tuesday, suggesting venture firms are leading the AI transformation in the finance sector. According to a report from the Korea Capital Market Institute, 67 percent of patent applications for financial investment-related AI were filed by local Software as a Service, or SaaS, companies. Of them, 76 percent were designed to be sold

Feb. 17, 2026

Naver, Kakao race to turn AI into personal shoppers

Most South Koreans already search on Naver and message on KakaoTalk. Within weeks, both platforms want their AI to start shopping for those users too, replacing the routine of hopping between apps, comparing prices and checking out with a single conversation. The two companies disclosed concrete launch timelines on back-to-back earnings calls this month. Naver went first. CEO Choi Soo-yeon told analysts on Feb. 6 that the company's shopping AI agent had reached closed-beta readiness and would be

Feb. 15, 2026

Samsung shares top 180,000 won on HBM4 breakthrough

Samsung Electronics shares surged past the 180,000 won threshold on Friday, setting a record high after the company announced the world's first mass production and shipment of sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory, a key component for AI chips. The stock climbed above 180,000 won in after-hours trading Thursday and extended gains during Friday's session, marking a historic milestone driven by strong institutional and foreign buying. The stock closed at 181,200 won, up 1.46 percent, after touchi

Feb. 13, 2026

Court rules in favor of LG chair in inheritance lawsuit

A court on Thursday ruled in favor of LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo in an inheritance lawsuit filed by other family members of his late adoptive father and predecessor, Koo Bon-moo. The Seoul Western District Court made the ruling in the lawsuit filed in February 2023 by the late LG chairman's wife Kim Young-sik and two daughters, who demanded the cancellation of the inheritance that took place following Koo Bon-moo's death in May 2018. The late chairman left behind 2 trillion won ($1.38 billio

Feb. 12, 2026

Google Maps standoff isn’t a ban — it’s a price tag, Korea's ex-mapping chief says

For 19 years, Google has been asking South Korea for permission to take the country's detailed 1:5000 map data overseas. For 19 years, Seoul has said no. The conventional explanation is national security: Korea is technically still at war, and precise maps in foreign hands pose a risk. But last week, Google submitted a revised proposal that effectively undermined that narrative. It now meets virtually every security condition the government had set. The one thing it refused to include was a plan

Feb. 12, 2026