Samsung SDS (018260) has formally entered the "robot transformation," or RX, business.
The company announced the move on the 8th at Real Summit 2026, an enterprise AX conference held at the COEX Convention Center in Seoul. "Over 25 years, we have built manufacturing execution systems and equipment and logistics automation for more than 430 manufacturing clients in semiconductors, secondary batteries and biotechnology," Samsung SDS CEO Lee Jun-hee said. "Starting next year, we plan to unveil a robot orchestration platform that connects and operates production equipment and robots as a single system."
The platform's core function is to design optimal movement paths so that different types of robots — handling tasks such as packaging, assembly and material transport — do not collide with one another. It also detects breakdowns in real time and redirects other robots to alternative tasks so that an entire plant does not grind to a halt when a single robot fails.
To support the effort, Samsung SDS formed a partnership called Team REX, or Robotics Excellence, bringing together 10 global physical AI companies including Rainbow Robotics and Walden Robotics. It has signed a strategic investment and cooperation agreement with Walden Robotics, founded by researchers formerly at the Toyota Research Institute, and the two plan to jointly identify use cases for manufacturing sites. In a video message, Walden Robotics CEO Russ Tedrake said physical AI is a technology that will drive innovation in manufacturing, but that large-scale field deployment capabilities and business understanding are essential to applying it on actual production floors and producing measurable results. He added that he was very pleased to partner with Samsung SDS, which he described as having the best capabilities in the field.
