[NewsSpace==JeongYoung Kim]  Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who embarked on his first business trip to the United States since taking office, held meetings with CEOs of more than 20 global companies, ranging from bio-pharmaceuticals to artificial intelligence (AI) and next-generation mobility. His exceptional networking skills have once again been recognized, drawing attention to his impressive network. 

Chairman Lee has often emphasized the importance of having many friends, stating that having more allies is beneficial in the semiconductor war. His recent endeavors are seen as an attempt to activate a global network and explore new business strategies amid the ongoing downturn in the semiconductor industry, which is a major challenge for Samsung.

According to industry sources on the 13th, Chairman Lee returned to South Korea on the 12th after a 22-day business trip to the United States, during which he traversed the East Coast's bio clusters and the West Coast's Silicon Valley information and communication technology (ICT) clusters.

Samsung Electronics stated, "During this period, Chairman Lee met with CEOs of more than 20 global companies leading the pharmaceutical industry, as well as advanced ICT, artificial intelligence, and next-generation mobility industries (including semiconductors for military use and next-generation communication), to discuss business ideas."

It is reported that Vice Chairman Lee met with over 20 global corporate leaders, including Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, and Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. Companies such as Agnon, Flagship Pioneering, Johnson & Johnson, and BMS were also included in the list of meetings.

Among Chairman Lee's impressive events during his visit was his meeting with Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia. Chairman Lee, who is seeking the rapid growth of Samsung's semiconductor foundry business, and Huang, who is the "big player" of Samsung's major competitor, TSMC, met in a private schedule at a Japanese restaurant in Silicon Valley on the 10th. The restaurant owner, who took a commemorative photo with the two individuals, posted the picture on their Facebook account, making it public.

Nvidia, the graphics processing unit (GPU) design company founded by Jensen Huang, currently has the highest market capitalization among global semiconductor companies ($532.9 billion). TSMC, which counts Nvidia and Apple among its core customers, is the second-largest in market capitalization ($467.2 billion), while Samsung Electronics, which is catching up with TSMC, ranks third ($321.2 billion).

An industry insider commented, "During this business trip, Chairman Lee restored the global network that had been disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic by meeting with at least one 'big shot' every day," and evaluated it as "an important milestone in laying the foundation for the 'New Samsung' strategy by sharing long-term visions with global CEOs and exploring collaborative measures to lead future industries."

An IT industry insider analyzed, "In the fields of AI, bio-pharmaceuticals, military-use semiconductors, and next-generation telecommunications, U.S. companies have secured unique competitiveness, and business networks with the United States determine the survival of businesses," and further explained, "Chairman Lee, who is facing a critical juncture due to the semiconductor downturn, personally activated a global network to find breakthroughs in new business opportunities."

It is known that Chairman Lee particularly devoted a significant amount of time during this trip to exchanging views with major companies and experts in the AI field. They discussed the utilization of AI in various business areas and extensively deliberated on strengthening cooperation with Samsung Electronics.

Chairman Lee also interacted with global scholars in the AI field during his business trip to Europe and North America in 2018 and also directly engaged in recruiting key AI talents. Currently, Samsung operates AI centers in seven regions around the world. Through Samsung AI Forum, it is also focusing on sharing innovative results with global companies and academic experts.