Samsung Electronics Establishes RX Business Promotion Office Under Roh Taemoon... Accelerates Humanoids and Autonomous Factories

Talent Consolidated at Seoul R&D Campus
Recruitment Includes Lee Donggeon, Formerly of Boston Dynamics
'AI Autonomous Factory' Initiative Linked for 2030

Samsung Electronics is consolidating its scattered robotics capabilities under a new organization directly reporting to the CEO. This move signals the company's intention to fully join the race for commercialization of humanoid robots.

A robot OHT transporting internal materials in Samsung Electronics' semiconductor production line. Samsung Electronics

On July 21, Samsung Electronics announced that it has identified robotics as a core pillar for future growth and will establish the Robotics Experience (RX) Business Promotion Office directly under the CEO. This integrated structure will oversee everything from mid- to long-term strategy, to the development of key technologies, and even commercialization, all within a single organization.

The RX Business Promotion Office will be led directly by Tae-moon Roh, President and CEO, who also oversees the Device Experience (DX) Division. This approach is designed to reduce the decision-making process so the company can accelerate technology development and respond swiftly to market changes.

The RX Business Promotion Office will be headquartered at the Seoul R&D Campus in Umyeon-dong, Seoul. By bringing together robotics research and development personnel, who had previously worked in separate locations, the company aims to foster a collaborative environment. In addition, a data factory will be established at the Gumi plant to secure on-site data, which is crucial for building robotics capabilities. The collected data will be linked to the research teams at the Seoul R&D Campus and used to enhance robotics intelligence and control sophistication.

Samsung Electronics also plans to expand overseas. It will set up global research hubs in the United States, China, and Japan, where robotics technologies are advancing rapidly, to secure region-specialized technology and talent.

A number of external experts have joined as well. Lee Donggeon, Executive Vice President of the Planning Division at Samsung Electronics, who previously led the robotics strategy for Boston Dynamics at Hyundai Motor Group, has been appointed Head of the Robotics Strategy Team and will be responsible for the mid- to long-term robotics business roadmap. In technology, Samsung Electronics has recruited Hyunjin Kim, a professor at Seoul National University who is renowned for his work in intelligent autonomous robotics systems and control, as well as Euikyum Kim, a professor at Ajou University who specializes in robotic hand manipulation. These additions are expected to strengthen Samsung Electronics’ capabilities in hand manipulation and autonomous control—key challenges for humanoid commercialization. The company also plans to bring on additional executive-level experts in areas such as robotics hardware, artificial intelligence (AI), and software.

Commercialization will proceed in stages. The plan is to validate the technology at manufacturing sites first and then gradually extend to broader markets. Humanoid robots developed for manufacturing use will first be deployed on production lines to accumulate process data, then further evolved into highly intelligent, multipurpose humanoids. Samsung Electronics intends to expand from business-to-business (B2B) applications into the business-to-consumer (B2C) space.

This initiative is directly connected to Samsung Electronics’ ongoing AI Autonomous Factory project. The company has set a goal to convert all its domestic and overseas manufacturing facilities into AI autonomous factories by 2030. This will involve gradually adopting digital twin-based simulations and introducing AI agents for quality, production, and logistics, as well as deploying humanoid manufacturing robots such as operating, logistics, and assembly bots.

Samsung Electronics’ affiliates, which possess manufacturing sites for semiconductors, smartphones, and home appliances, will also serve as learning foundations. It is expected that process data from other subsidiaries—including Samsung Display (displays), Samsung Electro-Mechanics (electronic components), Samsung SDI (batteries), Samsung Heavy Industries and SAMSUNG E&A (shipbuilding and plant industries)—will be utilized in the development of general-purpose robots.

The business community is watching for follow-up investments. There is speculation that, with this organizational restructuring, Samsung Electronics will secure talent in key fields such as locomotion, full-body control, and robot foundation models (RFM), and will begin actively pursuing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and investments in robotics startups.

A Samsung Electronics official stated, "Through continuous innovation and the strengthening of technological competitiveness, we will create new customer value and proactively discover future growth businesses, taking the lead in the global robotics market."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.