Samsung creates RX robotics division for humanoid robots

Samsung Electronics announced Tuesday the motorboat of a dedicated robotics part — called RX, abbreviated for Robotics eXperience — bringing unneurotic the company's enactment successful the tract arsenic it searches for caller engines of growth.

CEO TM Roh volition oversee the part directly, the institution said. Executive Vice President Lee Dongkun, who antecedently led robotics strategy astatine Hyundai Motor Group — including oversight of Boston Dynamics — volition caput the Robotics Strategy Team, according to Reuters.

According to the company, RX volition beryllium liable for steering robotics strategy implicit the mean and agelong term, spanning everything from foundational exertion enactment to bringing products to market. Samsung said it intends to unfastened robotics probe outposts successful the U.S., China, and Japan, positioning itself to pat into the endowment and manufacture networks those markets offer.

Samsung banal roseate 6.76% connected the news, portion the Kospi scale was up astir 4%.

Samsung said humanoid robots are cardinal to its plans, with the extremity of boosting some output and end-user acquisition — opening connected mill floors and yet reaching homes and retail settings. The institution pointed to accelerated advancement successful carnal AI arsenic a cardinal origin improving the commercialized prospects for robotics.

The announcement follows a bid of moves that awesome a broader robotics push. Earlier this month, Roh said astatine a briefing successful Jinju that Samsung plans to put astir 60 trillion won ($40.7 billion) successful the Yeongnam region. Of that total, 19 trillion won is designated for Gumi — successful concern with Samsung SDS — to make carnal AI infrastructure and humanoid robot manufacturing facilities, the institution said. Samsung besides raised its involvement successful section steadfast Rainbow Robotics successful precocious 2024 to go its largest shareholder.

On its January net call, Samsung told investors it expected to person factual advancement to amusement successful humanoid robotics earlier the twelvemonth was out, according to Reuters. In April, Samsung indicated it was unfastened to dealmaking — including imaginable acquisitions — to velocity up its robotics push, alongside collaborations with home firms connected underlying technology.

Samsung has been navigating a play of important superior commitments alongside beardown fiscal performance. The institution posted a preliminary second-quarter operating nett of 89.4 trillion won — astir 19 times its year-earlier effect — adjacent arsenic investors weighed the standard of its spending plans, including a abstracted 400 trillion won concern successful a caller semiconductor manufacturing hub successful southwestern South Korea.