Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, currently on a tour of Asian nations, met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday to discuss enhancing collaboration with Samsung Electronics on AI chips. This partnership aims to mitigate geopolitical risks associated with Taiwan, where TSMC, the world’s largest contract chip manufacturer, is located.
During their meeting, Zuckerberg and Yoon explored opportunities to broaden cooperation in the artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality industries, according to a briefing by a South Korean presidential official.
The development and procurement of AI processors and cutting-edge technologies that outpace current chip capabilities are now top priorities for companies in the AI sector, including Meta, as it shapes the future of its social media and hardware offerings. Reports indicate that Zuckerberg met with Samsung executives, including Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee, on Wednesday evening to discuss prospective collaborations related to AI chips, semiconductors, and extended reality. A Samsung spokesperson declined to comment on the meeting but did not refute its occurrence.
To diversify its supply chain amid escalating tensions in the U.S.-China tech war, TSMC recently opened its first chip fabrication plant in Japan. The Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM), established by the Japanese government and corporations in 2020, initiated the construction of this plant in April 2022, and plans for a second facility are already underway, set to begin construction in late 2024.
Zuckerberg also met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday to further discuss AI and semiconductor initiatives. Japan is actively working to revitalize its chipmaking sector, which currently lags behind Taiwan and South Korea in next-generation technology.
Zuckerberg's visit aligns with a burgeoning global race for AI chips, dominated by Nvidia. This presents significant opportunities for countries with a strong background in processors looking to ignite their innovation. Tech companies eager to lessen their dependence on Nvidia are also keenly pursuing advancements in AI chips. Meta, in particular, has intensified its efforts to secure AI chips and is developing its own in-house AI chip, called Artemis, for its data centers. Other major players, including Microsoft, OpenAI, Amazon, and Google, are similarly racing to acquire AI chips to fuel their ambitions.
Meta's Extended Reality Ambitions: Meeting with LG
Today’s meetings mark a continuation of Zuckerberg's visits in the region. Just yesterday, he met with LG Electronics CEO William Cho in Seoul to discuss potential strategic collaborations on extended reality (XR) device development.
When asked about the specifics of their discussions, an LG Electronics spokesperson indicated that the two companies have been collaborating closely, even prior to their top management meeting. They express optimism for future opportunities, although no concrete details on financial terms or specific products have been disclosed. The spokesperson noted that Cho expressed a strong interest in Meta's advanced technologies, particularly its large language models and on-device AI capabilities, while engaging with the recently launched Quest 3 headset and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.
Following the closure of its struggling mobile division in April 2021, LG has shifted its focus toward growth areas such as smart homes, connected devices, the Internet of Things (IoT), electric vehicle components, robotics, and, notably, artificial intelligence platforms. In late November, LG announced the formation of a new XR team within its home entertainment division, aiming to accelerate XR device development by 2025.
“We’re excited to collaborate with a long-standing leader in consumer electronics as we work on the next generation of XR devices,” a Meta spokesperson commented. “Meta’s vision for a more open ecosystem relies on collaboration among the industry's most innovative companies, and we look forward to our partnership with LG creating new ways for people globally to engage with future computing platforms.”
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