As per The Korea Times, the system semiconductors business could be on top of the vice chairman’s list of objectives. However, this is contingent on Lee’s visit to Europe. A Samsung spokesperson said there’s currently no schedule for the vice chairman’s travel plans for the Lunar New Year. With Samsung’s cash holdings surpassing 100 trillion won ($82 billion), there has been speculation about the company’s next major ventures. Among the companies in Samsung’s crosshairs include Dutch company NXP, Infineon Technologies based in Germany, and the semiconductors manufacturer based in Switzerland, STMicroelectronics. Adding more weight to these reports is the fact that Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee left for Europe shortly after the conclusion of CES earlier this month. “There will be good (M&A) results soon,” Vice Chairman Han said on the first day of CES.
Samsung is also pursuing Dutch company ASML, which specializes in EUV lithography systems
Semiconductor companies are quite attractive right now considering the market situation. So it seems like Samsung may finally strike a deal to consolidate its position in the tech industry. The company has already stated its ambitions of becoming a leader in the semiconductor business by the end of the decade. As SamMobile points out, the Korean manufacturer hasn’t announced an acquisition or merger since 2016. So the time may be just right for Samsung to make some big moves in this sector. There’s some context to this as well. In October 2020, Lee traveled to Eindhoven (The Netherlands) to the headquarters of ASML, a company specializing in photolithography systems. ASML also produces EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography systems necessary for the production of next-gen semiconductors. This naturally sparked reports about Samsung’s grand ambitions for the future. In other news, we came across Samsung’s quarterly report for Q4 2021 earlier today, with the company reporting record-breaking figures. The manufacturer generated 76.57 trillion won (around $63.6 billion) in consolidated revenue, beating the previous record of 73.98 trillion won set in Q3 2021.
