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(Seoul=Yonhap Infomax) Hak Seong Kim – Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., South Korea's largest company by market value, met with Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries, India's largest conglomerate, on the 25th to discuss broad-based business cooperation.
Ambani, widely recognized as Asia's wealthiest individual, is a prominent figure in India's corporate landscape.
During Ambani's visit to South Korea, Samsung showcased a range of advanced technologies. Ambani was briefed on the business status of key Samsung affiliates, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, Samsung SDI, Samsung C&T, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung E&A, and Samsung Human Resources Development Center. He also experienced new technologies firsthand, such as the 'Galaxy XR' extended reality device and micro RGB displays.
Reliance has recently been expanding its traditional focus on chemicals and retail into the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. The group is actively pursuing the construction of large-scale data centers and smart factories based on artificial intelligence and renewable energy. There is strong potential for collaboration with Samsung affiliates in semiconductors, telecommunications, data centers, and batteries.
Lee and Ambani further strengthened their relationship over a dinner attended by Samsung's core management team. Key executives present included Roh Tae-moon, President and Head of Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics; Kim Woo-joon, Head of Network Business at Samsung Electronics; Choi Joo-sun, President of Samsung SDI; Lee Joon-hee, President of Samsung SDS; Choi Sung-an, Vice Chairman of Samsung Heavy Industries; Oh Se-chul, President of Samsung C&T; Nam Koong-hong, President of Samsung E&A; and Lee Jae-eon, President of the Trading & Investment Group at Samsung C&T.
Samsung and Reliance have maintained close ties since the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee's era. The partnership was formalized in 2012 when Samsung signed a contract with Reliance Jio, India's largest telecom operator, to build a 4G network. In December 2022, the two companies also signed a deal for the supply of 5G radio access network equipment.
This meeting marks the first encounter between Lee and Ambani in one year and four months. Lee previously attended the weddings of Ambani's eldest daughter in 2018, eldest son in 2019, and youngest son last year. According to Samsung, Lee is the only South Korean business leader to have been invited to all of Ambani's children's weddings.
Recently, Lee has been strengthening Samsung's global presence through a series of meetings with major international business leaders. Last month, he met with Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, to discuss cooperation in AI factory construction and semiconductor supply. This month, he held a dinner with Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-Benz, at Samsung's official guesthouse, Seungjiwon, to explore mobility collaboration.
Samsung also reported that Lee is actively engaging with executives from global pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), and AstraZeneca to bolster its bio business.
hskim@yna.co.kr
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