LG's K-Exaone breaks into global top 10 AI rankings

LG AI Research unveiled K-Exaone, a homegrown AI foundation model that entered the global top 10 at seventh place -- marking the only Korean presence in a ranking dominated by US and Chinese models. The company said Sunday its latest AI model delivered the strongest overall performance among five teams in a government-led AI foundation model competition, topping 10 of 13 benchmark tests with an average score of 72. Globally, K-Exaone ranked seventh on the Intelligence Index compiled by Artificia

Jan. 11, 2026

Samsung forecasts record Q4 earnings but analysts expect lower smartphone profit

Samsung Electronics’ mobile businesses are projected to report lower fourth-quarter profits than previously expected, even as group-wide earnings hit an all-time high on the back of a memory-chip supercycle. Brokerage estimates from Meritz Securities, Daishin Securities and SK Securities expect Samsung’s mobile experience (MX) and networks divisions to post a combined operating profit of 1.4 trillion won to 1.8 trillion won ($960 million to $1.23 billion) for the fourth quarter of 2025. Samsung

Jan. 9, 2026

LG slips into first quarterly loss since 2016 despite record annual sales

LG Electronics reported record-high revenue for 2025 yet slipped into its first quarterly operating loss in nine years, as price competition in the premium TV market undercut profitability in its display unit. The company booked 89.2 trillion won ($61.3 billion) in consolidated revenue for the year, up 1.7 percent from 2024, according to preliminary earnings released Friday. Operating profit fell 27.5 percent year-on-year to 2.48 trillion won, while fourth-quarter results showed an operating los

Jan. 9, 2026

Naver builds Korea’s largest AI computing cluster with Nvidia chips

Naver said Thursday it has completed construction of Korea’s largest artificial intelligence computing cluster, a move aimed at sharply accelerating development of its in-house AI models. The nation’s biggest online portal operator added the system is built on about 4,000 of Nvidia’s next-generation B200 graphics processing units, giving it computing power comparable to that of the world’s top 500 supercomputers. Naver said the new infrastructure is expected to speed up AI model development by a

Jan. 8, 2026

Samsung smashes profit record on memory boom

Samsung Electronics on Thursday forecast its highest-ever quarterly operating profit, projecting strong gains for the October–December period of 2025, as a global memory chip supercycle lifted prices and earnings across the semiconductor industry. In its earnings guidance, the tech giant said fourth-quarter operating profit is expected to reach 20 trillion won ($13.8 billion), up 208.17 percent from a year earlier. Revenue is projected to rise 22.71 percent on-year to 93 trillion won. The estima

Jan. 8, 2026

Hyundai Mobis to supply actuators for Atlas robot

LAS VEGAS — Hyundai Mobis on Tuesday said it will supply key components for Boston Dynamics’ next-generation Atlas humanoid robot, marking its first commercial customer in the robotics components business as the auto parts maker accelerates its push beyond traditional automotive parts. Under the plan unveiled at CES 2026, Hyundai Mobis will provide actuators for Atlas — the humanoid robot developed by Boston Dynamics, Hyundai Motor Group’s US-based robotics unit — when the model enters mass prod

Jan. 8, 2026

FDI hits fifth straight record at $36b

Foreign direct investment commitments to South Korea hit a fifth consecutive record last year, rising 4.3 percent to $36 billion, while actual inflows jumped 16.3 percent to $17.95 billion, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said Wednesday. The government credited the surge to restored investor confidence after the launch of a new administration in June, which reduced political uncertainty and stabilized expectations for the economy. "Along with the new administration's push on AI pol

Jan. 7, 2026

Kolmar’s AI scar beauty device wins CES top prize

Kolmar Korea said Wednesday its AI-powered Scar Beauty Device won the Best of Innovation Award under the beauty tech category at CES 2026, marking an industry first. The top honor is given to technologies that receive the highest overall scores for innovation, design and technological advancement. Kolmar said its device was selected as the most noteworthy among 10 Innovation Award winners in the beauty tech category this year. The device also won an Innovation Award in the digital health categor

Jan. 7, 2026

Inside AI server bottleneck: Why Samsung Electro-Mechanics matters — but can’t celebrate yet

In the AI hardware boom, chips get the headlines. But inside every AI server, a quieter part is now driving supply risk and shaping who can scale production: the multilayer ceramic capacitor, or MLCC. As AI data center servers grow hotter and more power-dense, MLCCs have become harder to produce and more central to performance. These tiny, layered parts regulate and stabilize voltage near chips, absorbing power fluctuations that could otherwise disrupt performance. That’s why Samsung Electro-Mec

Jan. 7, 2026

Samsung Electro-Mechanics to run key lines at full capacity on AI demand

Samsung Electro-Mechanics will operate its key production lines at full capacity in the second half of this year as demand from AI servers and data centers accelerates, CEO Chang Duck-hyun said Tuesday at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. “As global tech giants ramp up investments in AI servers and data centers, we are seeing a strong surge in demand for high-voltage, high-capacitance multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) and flip-chip ball grid array (FC-BGA) substrates,” he said. On expectations that FC-

Jan. 7, 2026

LG Display supplies dashboard display for Sony Honda EV

LG Display is supplying its pillar-to-pillar display for Sony Honda Mobility’s latest electric SUV, which debuted Monday ahead of CES 2026 in Las Vegas, according to industry sources on Wednesday. The prototype jointly developed by Sony and Honda is targeting the North American market, with mass production expected in 2028. The vehicle sports a full-width digital dashboard, a seamless screen that runs from the driver’s side to the opposite end of the passenger seat. The display integrates infota

Jan. 7, 2026

S. Korean multipurpose satellite deployment delayed again amid Italian project setback

The planned deployment of South Korea's latest multipurpose satellite, Arirang 6, has been delayed again amid setbacks in the development of an Italian satellite that was scheduled to be launched together in a single rocket, according to sources Wednesday. According to the sources, the Korea AeroSpace Administration has received notification from France-based Arianespace, operator of the Vega-C rocket tasked with deploying Arirang 6, saying the launch will be pushed back to later than the third

Jan. 7, 2026

[CES] LG Innotek pushes AI-defined vehicle vision at CES 2026

LG Innotek said Tuesday it is unveiling integrated autonomous driving and electric vehicle solutions at CES 2026, underscoring its ambition to lead the shift toward AI-defined vehicles. At the center of its 330-square-meter booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center is a full-scale mock-up of a concept vehicle equipped with 16 autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance system components. Unlike past exhibitions that focused on individual parts, LG Innotek is presenting its portfolio as end-

Jan. 6, 2026

Samsung CEO signals Galaxy S26 price hike amid AI chip crunch

Samsung Electronics signaled that price increases for its upcoming flagship smartphones may be unavoidable, as global semiconductor costs surge and internal divisions face mounting margin pressure ahead of the Galaxy S26 launch next month. Speaking to global media ahead of the CES 2026 trade show in Las Vegas, Samsung's co-CEO and mobile business chief, Roh Tae-moon, said the current environment is "unprecedented" and warned that “smartphone price adjustments may be necessary” due to soaring chi

Jan. 6, 2026

[CES] SK hynix debuts 16-layer HBM4 at CES 2026

SK hynix said Tuesday it is unveiling its next generation of artificial intelligence memory chips — including a 16-layer HBM4 — this week at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, opening a customer-only exhibition booth focused on deepening engagement with key clients. At the exhibition, the chipmaker will debut the 16-layer HBM4 with 48 gigabytes. The model follows the company’s 12-layer HBM4 with 36GB, which demonstrated the industry’s fastest speed of 11.7 gigabits per second. The company said the new 16-la

Jan. 6, 2026