According to South Korean media reports, Samsung Electronics has a specialized technology research and development organization 'Samsung Advanced Technology Research Institute', which recently established a new unmanned car R&D team under the research institute.
This R&D team will play an important role in the company's re-development of the automotive market with Samsung's enterprise parts business unit.
It is reported that Samsung Advanced Technology Research Institute mainly develops basic early technologies and prepares for the development of mass market products in the future.
According to foreign media reports, Samsung Electronics has been somewhat low-key in re-entering the auto market in the past, but the establishment of a new technology R&D department indicates that Samsung Electronics’ automotive strategy has undergone a major transformation.
A few years ago, Samsung Electronics entered the automotive industry and formed a formal enterprise. However, Samsung's automobile business was severely impacted during the Asian financial crisis of the 1990s. Then in 2000, Samsung transferred its automobile business to the French Renault Group.
According to one source, in the period when Li Jianxi (currently the father of Samsung Electronics’ actual controller Li Zaijun) took over the power of Samsung, Samsung used the term 'car' very rarely. But under Li’s control, Samsung Electronics The attitude and atmosphere of the business have changed.
The source said that considering that Samsung Advanced Technology Research Institute has recently paid more and more attention to mass market technology, Samsung has set up an unmanned vehicle R&D department, which may be preparing to use its artificial intelligence technology to accelerate the development of autonomous vehicles.
Last year, Samsung Advanced Technology Research Institute obtained a test license to test autonomous vehicles on the road in South Korea. Samsung is also the first road test autopilot car in Korea. In addition, Samsung Electronics also obtained public road test vehicles in California. license.
After the failure of the year, Samsung Electronics returned to the automotive market in a two-pronged way, one of which is auto parts, automotive electronics, chips, etc. In 2015, Samsung Electronics officially established the auto parts business unit, one year. Later, the department spent $10 billion to acquire Harmon International, a US audio products and auto parts manufacturer, which is one of the largest M&A deals in the history of Samsung Electronics.
In addition to auto parts, Samsung's other layout in the auto market is unmanned vehicles.
In the autonomous driving industry, Samsung Electronics does not currently have an advantage. For example, when Samsung obtained a self-driving car road test license from California, more than 50 companies around the world have obtained licenses. Third-party market research company reports, And California CA's statistics show that in the autonomous automotive industry, Google Brothers Waymo, General Motors' cruise automation companies, and Nissan Motors are leading the way. In contrast, some well-known companies in the technology industry, The technical level is relatively backward, including Apple, Tesla, Uber, etc.
According to reports, in addition to personally invested in research and development and testing, Samsung Electronics has also invested in supply chain companies in the autonomous vehicle industry, such as several suppliers of laser radar.
The future business model for Samsung Electronics' self-driving cars, whether it is to sell finished cars to ordinary households, or to license autopilot systems to external automakers, is not yet known.