Samsung, LG turn to IAA for their newfound auto interest

Promotional poster for IAA Mobility 2023 [IAA]

Electronics and display companies are eyeing opportunities in the auto sector as the increased adoption of electric and autonomous vehicles creates new demand for chips and displays.

The size of the auto components market is expected to exceed the mobile phone components market for the first time in 2023, according to Strategy Analytics, while lodging an annual average growth of 14 percent until 2029.

This is why Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics will participate in the upcoming IAA Mobility show taking place in Munich, Germany, from Sept. 5 to promote their latest technology in the auto segment and attract new clients.

It is the duo’s first time participating in one of the world’s biggest auto shows.

Samsung Electronics chip division DS will set up a booth at the exhibition, showcasing its memory chip, processor, image sensor and contract manufacturing service in the vehicle segment.

The Korean chipmaker aims to kill two birds with one stone by attracting clients for its memory and processing chips as well as its contract manufacturing service.

Samsung said in July it began mass production of the UFS 3.1 (Universal Flash Storage) memory chips for in-vehicle infotainment systems, which has undergone a significant upgrade in energy efficiency.

“Samsung will actively target the auto chip market with the UFS 3.1,” the company said.

Samsung partnered with Hyundai Motor to supply its advanced in-vehicle infotainment processor Exynos Auto V920 by 2025, which enables real-time processing of driving data as well as the playing of multimedia and games, in June.

In manufacturing, Samsung was recently rumored to be producing Tesla’s fifth generation of HW 5.0 chips using its 4-nanometer technology. Samsung has already been supplying Tesla’s FSD (Fully Self-Driving) chips on its 14-nanometer nodes since 2019.

Samsung is targeting the production of 2-nanometer auto chips by 2027.

“As this shift towards full autonomy gains momentum, the technology underpinning these systems generates increasing amounts of data,” Richard Walsh, vice president and head of memory marketing at Samsung Semiconductor Europe, said in a recent note about the company's participation at the IAA 2023 that was uploaded on Samsung's Tech Blog.

“This requires ever greater processing power and larger, more capable, memory solutions.”

Samsung's rival TSMC is also aiming to manufacture auto chips.

The Taiwanese chip manufacturer committed 10 billion euros to build a chip factory in Dresden, Germany, picking a location adjacent to potential auto clients including Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Alongside the advancements in vehicles, panels that go inside the vehicle for infotainment service are also getting an upgrade.

Instead of LCD (liquid crystal display) panels that were often used for cars, carmakers are now demanding more premium OLED (organic light-emitting diode) panels. This is why Samsung Display is also participating in the IAA for the first time this year, where it is expected to showcase its latest tech in OLED panels for vehicles.

At CES 2023 earlier in the year, Samsung's panel-making subsidiary displayed a digital cockpit deployed with a bendable 34-inch OLED panel which shifts from a digital dashboard to an infotainment screen.

LG Electronics, a household name for home appliances, is setting big goals for itself in the auto components segment. It is participating in the IAA 2023 as a sponsor and will host a press conference to disclose some of that ambition instead of setting up a booth.

LG Electronics CEO William Cho will also be onstage on Sept. 4.

“LG will share key customer insights, present its exciting vision for the future of mobility and demonstrate how it is ‘Taking Life’s Good on the Road’,” the company said.

LG Electronics’ auto components business, launched 10 years ago, turned to profit last year. It pledged to rank in the global top 10 by hitting 20 trillion won in revenue by 2030.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]