Samsung Electronics to Open Its 3rd AI Research Center in France

Samsung Electronics will open an artificial intelligence (AI) R&D center in France. Samsung Electronics’ AI research and development hub will be built in Europe after Korea and North America.

According to foreign media outlets such as Reuters on March 29, Sohn Young-kwon, chief strategy officer (CSO) of Samsung Electronics, said that Samsung Electronics would set up a global AI development base in France in a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron of France at the Elysee Palace in Paris on March 28 (local time).

According to the report, Samsung Electronics will increase the number of researchers at the Paris research center from 15 to about 50 by the end of the year. A spokesperson for the French president said that the number will rise up to 100. Samsung Electronics is said to have decided to set up the center in Paris in consideration of the fact that the French government has strong will to foster AI and France has a large number of highly qualified AI personnel in France.

The Samsung Electronics AI Research Center, which will be established in France, will be operated by the Samsung Strategic Innovation Center (SSIC) in Silicon Valley, California in the US under the management of president Sohn. "Currently, there is only a sales corporation of Samsung Electronics in France. In the future, the French AI Research Center will focus on securing talent with the SSIC taking the lead under the leadership of president Son," a Samsung Electronics official said. “However, I can not disclose information about its main operator, investment scale and opening day." According to Reuters, Japan's Fujitsu is planning to use France as its European base for AI research. Fujitsu will build the base in a way that concentrates researchers scattered throughout Europe on Paris.

Meanwhile, at the end of last year, Samsung Electronics merged the DMC Research Center under the CE (consumer electronics) Division and the Software Center under the IM (IT & Mobile) Division into Samsung Research and newly established the AI center under it.