[EXCLUSIVE] Qualcomm CEO to meet with Samsung Electronics executives

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon may meet with the executives from Samsung Electronics when he accompanies U.S. president Joe Biden on his state visit to Korea starting Friday.

Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano Amon speaks during the company's press event for CES 2022 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on January 4, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. [AFP]

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon may meet with the executives from Samsung Electronics when he accompanies U.S. president Joe Biden on his state visit to Korea starting Friday.

“A meeting is planned between the Qualcomm CEO and high-ranking executives from Samsung Electronics,” a source with knowledge of the matter said.

“Up in the air is whether Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong will make it or not,” the source said.

Amon is expected to join a tour of the Samsung Electronics chip manufacturing complex in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, the first major stop during Biden’s visit. Lee will be there, but it is not clear whether he will attend a meeting between executives and Amon.

Qualcomm supplies its Snapdragon processors to Samsung Electronics for Galaxy smartphones, and the U.S. company hired Samsung Foundry to manufacture the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

Qualcomm was one of Samsung Electronics five largest clients in the first quarter, according to the Korean company.

It said Apple, Best Buy, Deutsche Telekom, Qualcomm and Supreme Electronics were its five largest clients, together generating 14 percent of the company's sales during the quarter.

Qualcomm could buy less from Samsung Electronics in the coming quarter since it recently picked Taiwan’s TSMC over Samsung Electronics to manufacture the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus and the next version of the 8 Gen 1 series.

“The discussion on supply chain management will be definitely on the agenda as that is the pressing issue that largest the chipmakers are most concerned about,” a source said.

Samsung Electronics declined to confirm.

The chief of the San Diego, California-based chip company could have private meetings with the heads of other Korean companies, such as Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Mobis and SK hynix, according to local media reports.

But a spokesperson at Hyundai Mobis said that no such meeting is scheduled.

“There will be no closed-door gathering between the Qualcomm CEO and the heads of Hyundai Mobis and Hyundai Motor,” the spokesperson said.

A potential discussion with SK hynix and other tech companies could take place to talk about forming a consortium to buy Britain's Arm, according to the local press.

Arm, which is owned by SoftBank, owns key processor technology used in almost all mobile devices.

SK hynix co-CEO Park Jung-ho, also vice chairman of SK Square, told shareholders last month that the company was considering working together with other companies to purchase Cambridge-based Arm.

Amon also said that Qualcomm is open to the idea of investing in the chip designer in an interview in 2021.

A spokesperson at SK Square said that nothing is decided.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]