Samsung chief Jay Y. Lee plans a trip to US Nov to finalize foundry project

Jay Y. Lee, Samsung Electronics Co. vice chairman and de facto head of the Samsung empire, is said to be planning a business trip in November to the United States where a $17 billion foundry project is planned, which would make his first official business activity since he was released from prison on a parole in August.

The new foundry, which would be the biggest outside Korea is likely be housed in Taylor City of Texas, adjacent to Samsung¡¯s Austin foundry, since the city council passed a resolution on a support package for Samsung including tax credits and water bill support on Oct.14.

Samsung Electronics is yet to make the investment official, saying details are still being discussed with the federal government.

Lee is expected to look around the site and meet with CEOs of major U.S. companies to discuss cooperation amid intensifying competition in the chip sector and fiercer contest with pure-play foundry leader TSMC of Taiwan which dominates the consignment chip market with 50 percent versus 15 percent of Samsung.

Lee has been keeping low profile since he was released in August after serving 19 months of his two-and-a-half-year sentence for bribing former president Park Geun-hye due to parole constraint and a five-year employment ban for convicted tycoons.

The chair however is expected to be more active through the momentum of the first anniversary of the death of the group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, also his father, on Oct.25.

Shortly after the chief¡¯s release from prison, Samsung announced a 240 trillion won capex plan to expand its chip and bio businesses and directly hire 40,000 employees at home over the next three years. To bolster competitiveness of its non-memory business including foundry business, it has vowed to invest 133 trillion won by 2030. The group¡¯s M&A activity in the semiconductor industry that has been put on hiatus will also pick up with his return, sources anticipated.

Samsung is also likely to reorganize its control tower to improve its governance structure and consistency in decision-making and carry out management reshuffle in mid-November, a few weeks earlier than usual.

A memorial ceremony marking the first anniversary of the death of late Chairman Lee will be held next Monday in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.

[¨Ï Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]