Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, who will visit South Korea after a six-month break, is expected to meet with Kyung Kye-hyun, the head of Samsung Electronics’ Device Solutions Division, and Lee Jung-bae, who leads the company’s memory business.

According to sources on Wednesday, Gelsinger is scheduled to visit Korea on November 9, following stops in Taiwan and Japan, visiting Japan and Korea for meetings with partners after attending the “Intel Innovation 2023” event in Taipei, Taiwan.

In the semiconductor industry, it is anticipated that Gelsinger will discuss collaboration on next-generation semiconductor and memory products with the Samsung Electronics leadership. There is also keen interest in whether a meeting between Gelsinger and Jay Y. Lee, executive chairman of Samsung Electronics, will take place. The Intel CEO visited Samsung Electronics’ headquarters in Seoul in May 2022, when he met with Lee. During their meeting, leaders from the two firms discussed collaboration in areas like next-generation memory, system semiconductors, foundries, and PC and mobile sectors.

While no further meetings between Gelsinger and Lee have occurred since then, the leadership at both companies has maintained an ongoing collaborative relationship.

Despite competing for the top position in the semiconductor industry, Samsung Electronics and Intel have maintained a close partnership. Intel, a leader in the central processing unit (CPU) market, is also a major customer for Samsung Electronics’ memory business and to develop next-generation memory technologies, such as Double Data Rate (DDR) 5, Samsung Electronics must ensure compatibility with Intel CPUs. But the two companies continue to compete in areas like foundry, and as Samsung Electronics strives to catch up with Taiwan’s TSMC, Intel recently declared its intention to strengthen its foundry business.

By Seong Seung-hoon and Minu Kim

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