Samsung’s Lee meets with CEOs of global tech giants in U.S.

Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong has met with the heads of Meta Platforms Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Qualcomm Inc. in the United States this week to discuss future technologies and business collaborations, the company said Thursday.

Lee, who has been on a two-week business trip in the U.S., was invited to Mark Zuckerberg’s home in Palo Alto, California, on Tuesday (U.S. time) and had talks with Meta’s founder and CEO, according to Samsung Electronics.

It is their second meeting in 2024 after Zuckerberg’s Seoul visit in February.

During their discussions, the two leaders explored ways to enhance cooperation in the future information technology and software sectors, including artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality and augmented reality.

The following day, Lee visited Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle, Washington, for a meeting with CEO Andy Jassy.

They shared their views on core business areas, such as generative AI and cloud computing.

Amazon, a leading cloud service provider, is a key business partner for Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chipmaker, in the semiconductor sector. The U.S. tech giant recently announced plans to enter the generative AI market and innovate its cloud-based AI services, with a US$150 billion investment plan for AI data centers over the next 15 years.

Earlier this week, Lee also had a meeting with Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon at Samsung Electronics’ Device Solutions America in San Jose, California, to seek ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in the booming AI chip market.

Samsung Electronics and Qualcomm have long been close business partners, with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform powering Samsung’s latest smartphones.

During his two-week stay in the U.S., Lee also met with global fabless chipmakers to discuss expanding collaboration in the foundry business and developing new technologies for future semiconductors.

Samsung Electronics said Lee’s U.S. trip aimed to strengthen his global network, assess the company’s future technological competitiveness and map out detailed future business strategies.

“Let’s utilize Samsung’s strengths and pioneer the future as we have done,” said Lee.

Earlier in the day, Lee returned home via Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul.

“We should work hard,” Lee briefly told reporters, when asked to comment about his trip.

Lee, however, did not provide details on whether he had met Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang or made any progress in securing foundry projects.