Samsung Electronics is spending $4.5 billion to build five new research and development centers in its home country of South Korea. According to unnamed sources, all of the centers will be opened by 2016.
At this time, it is not clear if Samsung will use the R&D centers to build new smartphones, create wearable tech, or fuel a mixture of new technology projects.
Samsung already has its hands in various pieces of electronics from smartphones, computers, and tablets to Smart TVs, computer displays, and much more. It’s likely that Samsung will use the centers to increase the capabilities of its current tech lines while also finding the “next big thing” in tech.
Samsung’s New R&D Centers By The Type
One of the centers is being called a “cutting-edge design center,” and it is expected to open in 2015. The design center will reportedly employ 10,000 designers, software developers, and strategists.
Samsung is also expected to create a “parts-development center,” which will help create next-generation materials and components for future gadgets.
According to the Korean Times, other R&D facilities will focus on chipsets and display technology.
Samsung currently employees approximately 40,000 people across 26 research & development centers located in 11 countries around the world. Samsung opened its most recent R&D facility in Finland last month.
Spending For The Future
Samsung has been ramping up its R&D capabilities over the last several years. In 2012, the company pushed its R&D spending to $10.4 billion, a new record for the company.
A Samsung researcher tells the Korea Times:
“R&D may not generate tangible results in the short term, but the key point is that Samsung can’t survive if it fails to develop products that can give value to customers.”
With a massive amount of cash on hand, the company is expected to continue increasing its R&D facility.
Do you think Samsung’s $4.5 billion R&D spend will bring about the next generation of cutting edge products?
