Samsung Electronics is stepping into the physical AI race by establishing a robotics division led by its CEO, entering a field where US tech giants including Meta and Nvidia are competing to develop intelligent machines. The company announced the launch of its Robotics eXperience (RX) business division that will report directly to CEO Roh Tae-moon, who also serves as the head of Device eXperience (DX). The new division will be responsible for designing Samsung’s mid- to long- term robotics strategy and the overall process of commercialization, including developing key technology for AI and software, design, and product planning. The plan is to make one group that will be in charge of research and development, product planning, and business strategy to hasten the commercialization of physical AI products. The company has also moved to secure the talent needed to commercialize physical AI.Executive Vice President Lee Dong-kun, who previously worked at Hyundai Motor Group-owned robotics company Boston Dynamics, will head the Robotics Strategy Team. Lee will be joined by Kim Hyoun-jin, a mechanical and aerospace engineering professor at Seoul National University known for research in autonomous robotic systems, and Kim Ui-kyum, a professor of robotics at Ajou University whose expertise is unrivaled in the robotic hand technology field. Samsung will continue to recruit experts in the fields of robotics hardware, AI and software. The business division will be based in Samsung’s Seoul R&D campus in Seocho District’s Umyeon neighborhood, and will build a foundation to rapidly deploy robots to manufacturing sites by building a data factory at its Gumi complex to train and review said robots. The plan is to simultaneously operate research hubs in the US, China and Japan to leverage local technology and talent. This reshuffle is a move to promote the company’s Future Robotics Office, which began operations after Samsung became the largest shareholder of Rainbow Robotics in 2024, as a business unit alongside research and development groups. The company plans to first check its robotics technology in manufacturing environments before expanding its business from the business-to-business (B2B) market to the business-to-consumer (B2C) market. To begin with, Samsung will gradually deploy humanoid robots as it transitions its domestic and overseas production plants into AI-based autonomous factories by 2030, which is a strategy that aims to enhance versatility by repeatedly training the system using data accumulated from actual production lines. The company’s diverse manufacturing facilities, which include those for semiconductors, smartphones, and home appliances, as well as those of Samsung Display, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung SDI, and Samsung Heavy Industries, are considered a favorable foundation for advancing physical AI and humanoid technologies.“This signals that the company is determined to nurture its robotics sector to become a key industry to sway its manufacturing competitiveness, instead of merely considering it as nothing more than a breakthrough technology,” a Samsung Electronics official noted.