Samsung Electronics has established a new “Custom SoC Development Team” within its System LSI Business as part of a recent organizational reshuffle in its Device Solutions (DS) division. The move is seen as a strategic response to the growing demand for application-specific chips from global Big Tech companies, aimed at strengthening the company’s in-house development capabilities.
According to the semiconductor industry on December 2, Samsung’s DS division has created the Custom SoC Development Team under its SoC Business Team. The team is led by Executive Vice President Park Bong-il, a seasoned SoC design expert who has spearheaded custom system semiconductor development within the DS division. Following his promotion, Park will oversee the new team with a focus on enhancing System LSI capabilities.
Industry insiders view this as a structural shift toward a “development-centered model” within the System LSI Business. Instead of merely designing chips based on customer requirements — akin to an outsourcing model — Samsung is now aiming to deliver fully developed custom chips by bolstering its own capabilities in SoC architecture, IP, AI, and NPU development.
“Global Big Tech firms such as Apple, Meta, and Tesla are ramping up investments in custom chips for AI, cameras, sensors, and mobile computing,” said an industry source. “Samsung seems to be strengthening its development-oriented organization to expand its custom SoC business.”
Previously, in 2020, Samsung consolidated design support units that had been scattered across the Foundry and System LSI businesses into a single Custom SoC Team within the System LSI Business. At the end of 2023, the company restructured its system semiconductor operations into three core units: the SoC Business Team, the Image Sensor Business Team, and the LSI Business Team.
As part of this restructuring, Samsung also established a Marketing Intelligence (MI) Team responsible for market research, demand forecasting, and strategy planning to bolster overall marketing capabilities. The MI Team provides comprehensive market analysis for each business unit.
The prominence of development organizations within the System LSI Business was further reinforced during Samsung’s annual executive reshuffle this November. System LSI Division head Park Yong-in, who has led the normalization of the AP (application processor) business, retained his position, while Park Bong-il, responsible for advanced SoC development, was promoted to executive vice president.
Experts suggest that the new team may be a strategic move to target new Big Tech clients. “This appears to be a step to respond more professionally to the needs of major customers,” said Lee Jong-hwan, professor of System Semiconductor Engineering at Sangmyung University. “It could also indicate preparations for deeper integration with Samsung’s foundry business.”
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