Meta to partner with Samsung to reduce reliance on TSMC: presidential office

By Park Jae-hyuk, The Korea Times - Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg indicated the U.S. multinational technology conglomerate's intention to work with Samsung Electronics in the artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor sector to rely less on chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, according to the presidential office Thursday.

After a 30-minute meeting between the American tech entrepreneur and President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul that day, a senior official at Yoon's office told reporters that Zuckerberg recognized Samsung for its status as one of the largest foundry companies in the world.

"Zuckerberg said Samsung's status can be the key point in their cooperation," the official said.

The Meta CEO is also said to have mentioned his company's reliance on the Taiwanese chipmaker, describing the current situation as "volatile." The operator of Facebook and Instagram had asked TSMC to manufacture two types of AI chips, which were designed by the U.S. firm and unveiled last May.

"His remarks mean that Samsung's status can help in stabilizing Meta's heavy reliance on TSMC under the current geopolitical situation," the official said.

Meta's Korean operation declined to confirm what its CEO said exactly to Yoon.

After Zuckerberg's dinner with Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong a day earlier at the Korean firm's VIP guest house in Seoul, Meta remained silent on what the two discussed during the meeting.

Unlike LG, which informed reporters on Wednesday that the company's executives and Zuckerberg had in-depth discussions centered on technological cooperation related to extended reality, Samsung declined to comment on Lee's meeting with the Meta CEO.

Industry officials speculated that their discussions revolved around semiconductor cooperation, particularly concerning the production of AI chips, which are necessary for operating Meta's next-generation large language model known as Llama 3.

The presidential office said that Yoon told Zuckerberg about the government's support for Samsung's investments in the construction of the world's largest semiconductor cluster near Seoul.

The Meta CEO responded positively to Yoon's request to prevent the spread of fake news on social media ahead of elections in Korea and other countries, the presidential office added.

Following the meeting with Yoon, Zuckerberg departed for India to attend a wedding ceremony for the son of billionaire Mukesh Ambani, the head of the oil and technology conglomerate Reliance Industries.

Source: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2024/03/133_369772.html 

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