[AI 각축전]
Samsung and AI chip development-foundry collaboration
LG plans to commercialize XR devices next year
Meeting with domestic AI startups… Zuckerberg pays a courtesy visit to President Yonhap today
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who visited Korea for the first time in 10 years, met with major domestic businessmen one after another on the 28th and discussed the possibility of collaboration with Korea in the global artificial intelligence (AI) industry. The schedule to commercialize extended reality (XR) devices in collaboration with LG next year was revealed for the first time. Attention is focused on whether Meta, which has platform power in the rapidly changing AI semiconductor and XR markets, can strengthen partnerships with domestic companies with manufacturing strengths.
According to the electronics industry on the 28th, CEO Zuckerberg arrived at LG Twin Tower in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul around 12:00 noon on this day, and was greeted by Kwon Bong-seok, LG Chief Operating Officer (COO, Vice Chairman), LG Electronics CEO Jo Joo-wan, and Park Hyeong-se, head of LG Electronics HE Business Division. We had a lunch of bibimbap with (the president) and others.
Immediately after the meeting that day, President Cho said, “We talked about two topics, including how Meta’s very large language model (LLM) ‘Rama’ can be effectively implemented in AI devices with MR Device, with which we have been collaborating.” Regarding the XR device being developed with Meta, President Cho first revealed the commercialization date, saying, “I think it should be 2025.” President Cho also tried on Meta’s MR headset ‘Quest 3’ and smart glasses ‘Ray-Ban Meta’ at the meeting. At the end of last year, LG Electronics launched a new XR business department directly under the HE Business Division and began promoting new XR businesses in earnest.
It also suggested the possibility of expanding cooperation in the generative AI market in the future. President Cho said, “The scope of our cooperation is very wide, including whether we can quickly apply Meta’s language model to more than 500 million LG Electronics devices around the world and what kind of customer experience we can innovatively improve.” He also expressed his expectation, saying, “(I met him on video) before, but this is the first time we met in person,” adding, “I think we will meet often in the future.”
CEO Zuckerberg visited Samsung’s guest house, Seungjiwon, this afternoon and met with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and then had a dinner for the three of him with his wife, Priscilla Chan. The two sides are said to have broadly discussed the possibility of collaboration in the AI market, including the development of their own AI chip, which Meta is pursuing.
According to Reuters on the 1st (local time), Meta plans to install self-developed AI chips in its data centers within the year to reduce dependence on Nvidia. In May of last year, Meta unveiled two self-designed first-generation AI chips and announced that it had entrusted production to Taiwan’s TSMC 7-nano process. If Meta expands its development of next-generation AI chips, it could become a potential customer for Samsung Electronics’ foundry (semiconductor consignment production). In relation to this, it is reported that both companies also considered visiting Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor factory before CEO Zuckerberg’s visit to Korea.
Just before the meeting with Chairman Lee, we also met with domestic XR and AI startups at the Meta Korea office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. About 10 Korean startup representatives and officials attended and had a meeting with CEO Zuckerberg for about 20 minutes. At this meeting, CEO Zuckerberg asked whether Korean startups were using ‘Rama 2’ a lot. It seems that the large language models of global big tech take into account the lack of understanding of the Korean language.
Choi Min-kyung, CEO of Devs United Games, who attended the event, said, “I felt that CEO Zuckerberg had quite a lot of expectations about the XR and AI industries,” and added, “AI and XR are technologies that support each other, and these technologies combine to create “The expectation that a metaverse can be achieved if we lose doesn’t seem to have changed whether it was 10 years ago or now,” he said.
CEO Zuckerberg plans to stay in Korea until the 29th and complete additional schedules, including a visit to President Yoon Seok-yeol. It is reported that President Yoon plans to meet CEO Zuckerberg at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the morning of the 29th. This is President Yoon’s first time meeting CEO Zuckerberg. It is reported that President Yoon will announce the government’s intention to expand investment in advanced technology fields such as AI semiconductors and encourage collaboration with domestic companies. An official from the Presidential Office said, “Conversations can take place on a variety of topics, including discussions on AI-related cooperation.”
On the night of the 27th, CEO Zuckerberg and his wife arrived at the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul from Haneda Airport in Japan on a private plane. Wearing a Mustang over a T-shirt, he smiled and waved to reporters gathered at the airport. He will stay in Korea for 3 days and 2 nights.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.