At the ‘SAFE (Samsung Advanced Foundry Ecosystem) Forum 2025′ held at the Samsung Financial Campus, Samsung Foundry clients and partners are registering for attendance. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Facing ongoing losses in its foundry business, Samsung Electronics significantly scaled down its annual events for semiconductor clients and partners this year, reflecting a strategic pivot toward operational focus and internal strengthening.
On Monday, Samsung held its SAFE (Samsung Advanced Foundry Ecosystem) Forum 2025 at its Financial Campus in Seocho, Seoul. Unlike previous years, the event was closed to the public and notably reduced in both scale and duration. The forum, first launched in 2019, typically serves as a venue to showcase technological advances and deepen collaboration with partners.
Last year’s event drew over 1,000 attendees to COEX in Gangnam. This year, the company hosted the forum at a smaller Samsung-owned venue, with the program limited to just three and a half hours.
Additionally, Samsung canceled its high-profile Samsung Foundry Forum (SFF), which had traditionally run alongside the SAFE Forum. In prior editions, SFF featured keynote addresses from top executives, including then-foundry head Choi Si-young, outlining process roadmaps and business visions.
This year, it was replaced by a private VIP dinner, attended by key leadership such as Han Jin-man, head of the Foundry Business Division, and Nam Seok-woo, CTO of the division.
Samsung adopted a similar low-profile approach for its North America forum last month in San Jose, California.
Insiders say the move reflects a deliberate decision by Samsung’s senior leadership to focus inward. Rather than promoting its foundry capabilities externally, the company is prioritizing technical competitiveness and customer retention as it battles stiff competition and profitability challenges.
According to TrendForce, Samsung’s global foundry market share fell to 7.7% in Q1 2025, down 0.4 percentage points from the previous quarter. The gap with industry leader TSMC (67.6%) widened, while rival China’s SMIC narrowed the distance with a 6% share.
In response, Samsung is said to have shifted its strategy away from developing cutting-edge 1.4nm processes in favor of improving yield rates in its 2nm and 4nm nodes. Earlier this year, the company also brought in Margaret Han, a veteran with 21 years at TSMC, as a senior vice president to lead its North American foundry operations.
At Monday’s forum, Shin Jong-shin, executive vice president overseeing foundry design platforms, outlined the company’s current status and strategic direction. Guest keynotes were delivered by Lee Jang-kyu, CEO of Telechips, and Park Sung-hyun, CEO of AI chipmaker Rebellions.
Despite its scaled-down format, the event still hosted 21 industry partners — including Cadence, Synopsys, Advantest, Alphawave Semi, ADTechnology, and Semifive — who participated in the forum’s “Partner Pavilion” to foster networking and collaboration.
Samsung’s more restrained posture this year underscores the challenges of its ambitious foundry expansion and highlights a recalibrated approach as it seeks to solidify its position in a fiercely competitive global semiconductor landscape.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
