Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics, is attending the Sun Valley Conference in the United States for the second consecutive year. This participation is seen as an effort to strengthen global business networks and secure a leading position in the artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor market.
According to industry sources on July 7, Lee departed for Seattle via a private jet from the Gimpo Business Aviation Center in Seoul. He is set to attend the Sun Valley Conference, held in a resort in Idaho.
The Sun Valley Conference, hosted by the investment bank Allen & Company since 1983, gathers media, IT, and investment industry leaders to discuss key issues such as partnerships and mergers and acquisitions. While it has a strong social gathering aspect, it is often referred to as a 'summer camp for billionaires' due to the significant strategic alliances that emerge among CEOs.
This year's event will take place from July 7 to 11 and is closed to the public.
Lee has consistently attended the conference from his time as an executive from 2002 to 2016. After a nine-year hiatus, he returned last year and is attending again this year.
In the past, Lee has remarked, "The Sun Valley Conference is the busiest and most important trip of the year," highlighting his commitment to the event.
With the global focus on restructuring the AI semiconductor supply chain, attention is on Lee's activities as he leads both the memory and foundry businesses. Notable figures from the global AI ecosystem, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, are also expected to attend.
Lee is anticipated to hold discussions with these leaders regarding long-term supply plans for sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4), foundry orders, and advanced packaging collaborations.
Currently, major tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Meta are key clients of Samsung Electronics. Meetings with these companies, which are looking to establish independent AI chip production systems, could lead to additional large orders or long-term supply agreements (LTA).
In fact, after meeting with Tim Cook at last year's event, Lee secured contracts for image sensors for iPhones.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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