Counterattack of the mobile ecosystem launched by the ‘semiconductor boom’: Samsung Electronics’ strategic winning move > News

The ‘Samsung Electronics Appreciation Festival with the People’, which Samsung Electronics started on the 8th, is shaking up the market by catching two birds with one stone: boosting domestic demand and coexistence. This event, which refunds 20% of the purchase amount of home appliances and smartphones in the form of a digital Onnuri gift certificate, can be applied in conjunction with telecommunication companies' own publicly announced subsidies or optional contract discounts, so consumers can feel the actual 'price destruction' effect. In fact, in the four days since the event began, the number of new mobile phone activations has surged by more than 30% compared to the same period just before, which is a very unusual figure in the off-season market. Telecommunications companies are also able to attract subscribers without having to compete with subsidies by utilizing the financial resources of manufacturers, and their concerns about worsening profitability appear to be completely washed away.

Behind the success of this promotion is the spectacular return of ‘Exynos’, Samsung Electronics’ core semiconductor strategy. Exynos, which was excluded from last year's Galaxy S25 series, was reinstalled in the latest S26 series and recorded 7% of the global market share, achieving a significant rebound compared to the previous year. This means that the design competitiveness of the System LSI Division is on track, and it has become a strategic asset that reduces the dependence on external chipsets such as Qualcomm, leading to cost savings in the MX Division. In particular, the Exynos 2600, based on the 2-nano process, dramatically improves AI benchmark performance and is solidifying its position as the core brain of premium devices beyond a simple cost-saving chip.

Samsung Electronics’ actions in the second half of the year are more detailed and strategic. The global strategy meeting, which will be held starting on the 16th, will be a venue for the finished product (DX) and semiconductor (DS) sectors to come together and establish a roadmap to overcome global geopolitical risks and cost burdens. The DX division is prioritizing the establishment of new foldable phones in the market and improving the profitability of premium home appliances, while the DS division plans to make every effort to solve the difficult problems of expanding HBM4 supply and stabilizing the foundry 2-nano process. In particular, in line with the ‘omnidirectional AI transformation’ emphasized by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Samsung Electronics is also showing a strong will to widen the gap with competitors through ‘customized AI semiconductor solutions’ that cover everything from servers to on-device.

The market's attention is now focused on Samsung Electronics' next product, the S27 series, and the next-generation chipset that will be included in it. Samsung plans to gradually expand the proportion of Exynos installed to 50%, which will play a key role in creating a virtuous cycle of increased operation rate and improved yield in the foundry division. In addition, in the age of agentic AI, the ‘custom architecture’ strategy, which provides customized designs optimized for each customer, ranging from high-performance chips for data centers to low-power chips for smartphones, is expected to become an unrivaled strength unique to Samsung Electronics. This technological confidence represents Samsung's blueprint to go beyond a simple parts supplier and become a platform company leading the AI ​​era.