▲AI PRISM* Customized Economic Briefing
*Editor's Note: 'AI PRISM' (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an "artificial intelligence (AI)-based customized news recommendation and summary service" developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It selects and provides six customized news items by reader type.
[Key Issue Briefing]
■ Samsung Foundry's Leap: Meta is transitioning to Samsung Foundry's 2nm process starting from the third generation of its next-generation AI accelerator "MTIA," and is pursuing a contract worth more than 10 trillion won. Anthropic is also reviewing the development of an ASIC using Samsung Foundry's 2nm process, and Anthropic's AI semiconductor investment alone is expected to reach about 39 trillion won.
■ Large-Scale Investment in Yeongnam Region: Samsung Group will build a 19 trillion won Physical AI (AI that operates in physical environments, such as robots) hub in Gumi, including a humanoid robot mass-production line, while Hyundai Motor Group (005380) will invest 42 trillion won in an AI autonomous vehicle manufacturing hub centered on Ulsan. SK Group will establish a 2GW-class AI data center with Ulsan as its first project site, and Hanwha Group (000880) will invest more than 10 trillion won to build a defense-specialized AIDC (AI data center) in Changwon.
■ Emergency Support for SMEs: The government will supply a total of 14.9 trillion won in emergency operating funds to small and mid-sized enterprises facing increased cost burdens from prolonged high exchange rates. For companies whose raw and subsidiary material imports account for 20 percent or more of sales, the government has lowered requirements to allow support without conditions of declining sales or operating profit, and will also support extensions of tax payment deadlines including corporate tax and value-added tax.
[News of Interest to Startup Founders]
1. From Anthropic to Meta…Samsung Foundry Seizes AI Chip Leadership
- Key Summary: Samsung Electronics (005930) Foundry is emerging as a production base for ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) for global big tech firms such as Meta and Anthropic, with its order backlog expected to expand to around 50 trillion won. Meta chose Samsung Foundry's 2nm process instead of its existing partner TSMC, starting from the third generation of its AI accelerator "MTIA," and has established a joint development system with Samsung's System LSI division from the architecture design stage to accommodate an ultra-fast six-month chip development schedule. Anthropic is pursuing the construction of its own AI data center of about 1GW, with total investment estimated at about $50 billion (about 77 trillion won), of which semiconductor investment alone is expected to reach $25 billion (about 39 trillion won). In May, Samsung Electronics participated in Anthropic's $65 billion (about 100 trillion won) Series H investment round, establishing a strategic partnership.
2. Samsung Invests 19 Trillion Won in Gumi Robot Plant…Establishes Solid-State Battery Hub in Ulsan
- Key Summary: Samsung Group will invest 60 trillion won in the Yeongnam region to build a humanoid robot mass-production line and a Physical AI hub. Samsung Electronics and Samsung SDS will invest 19 trillion won in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, to build a data factory for enhancing robot performance and core smartphone production facilities, while Samsung SDI has allocated 16 trillion won to establish a solid-state battery mass-production base for humanoid robots in Ulsan. Hyundai Motor Group will also invest 42 trillion won in an AI DV (AI-equipped vehicles that learn and drive on their own) manufacturing hub centered on Ulsan, and plans to sequentially build electric vehicle parts clusters across Yeongnam, including Ulsan, Daegu and Changwon, by 2030. Samsung Electronics President Roh Tae-moon said the investment would create 200,000 quality jobs in the Yeongnam region.
- Key Summary: SK Group unveiled a plan to invest 140 trillion won in the Yeongnam region to build a 2GW-class AI data center and expand it to 15GW in the long term. SK Telecom (017670) has selected Ulsan as its first project site and is building a 100 MW (megawatt) AIDC with AWS (Amazon Web Services), with plans to expand an additional 900 MW in Ulsan alone and complete more than 2GW of AI infrastructure across the entire Yeongnam region. Hanwha Group will invest more than 10 trillion won to build a defense-specialized AIDC in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, and will invest 2 trillion won by 2040 to develop "Defense OS," a defense AI platform specialized for the Korean Peninsula's operational environment. These investments are follow-up measures to the government's announced "Three Mega Projects for Korea's Great Leap," and the total private investment by Yeongnam-based companies reaches 312 trillion won.
4. 15 Trillion Won in Operating Funds Supplied to SMEs…Corporate Tax Payment Deadlines Extended
- Key Summary: The government announced measures to supply a total of 14.9 trillion won in emergency operating funds for small and mid-sized enterprises whose management burdens have increased due to prolonged high exchange rates. The amount combines 13.8 trillion won in remaining policy financing resources with 1.1 trillion won in new funds, and eases support requirements so that companies whose raw and subsidiary material imports account for 20 percent or more of sales can receive emergency management stabilization funds from the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency without conditions of declining sales or operating profit. The government will also increase the Export-Import Bank of Korea's crisis response special program for small and mid-sized enterprises from 7 trillion won to 8 trillion won, expand the interest rate preference to up to 2.2 percentage points, and strengthen trade insurance support, including a 50 percent discount on import insurance premiums until April next year. It will also provide tax and administrative support, including extensions of payment deadlines for corporate tax, value-added tax, income tax and customs duties, and adjustments to contract amounts in public contracts when raw material prices surge.
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