
Samsung Electronics‘ Ballie synthetic intelligence dwelling robotic initiatives a solution to a consumer’s query throughout a closed-door exhibition at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Jan. 5. Yonhap
LAS VEGAS — The rivalry between Samsung Group and LG Group intensified at CES 2025, as associates from each conglomerates signaled their ambitions to enter overlapping enterprise sectors in pursuit of recent development alternatives.
Samsung Electronics CEO and Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee stated the corporate will increase its dwelling equipment subscription enterprise to cowl smartphones and different upcoming merchandise.
“As we’ve belatedly began our product subscription enterprise, the point of interest can be about increasing the vary of selection for purchasers,” Han stated throughout a press convention on Wednesday (native time).
“Although we’re a latecomer, our subscription enterprise is exhibiting monumental development, and several other new fashions can be coming into the subscription program, so you possibly can anticipate our subscription enterprise to hit its stride.”
Samsung Electronics started its subscription service final month, providing its newest TVs, fridges, washers and vacuums embedded with synthetic intelligence (AI). Han confirmed that the corporate will even provide subscription applications for its Galaxy smartphones and Ballie, an AI-embedded dwelling robotic.
This comes as a problem to LG Electronics, which has been having fun with good-looking earnings by way of its dwelling equipment subscription enterprise all over the world. Final yr, LG Electronics‘ subscription enterprise posted 2 trillion gained ($1.37 billion), up 75 p.c from a yr earlier.
LG Electronics CEO Cho Joo-wan stated in a press convention on Thursday that “there can be competitors,” however he’s “viewing it in an optimistic approach as a result of the market will increase.”
“Our clear power is that we’ve over 5,000 care managers, every of whom is an skilled in caring for subscribed home equipment,” Cho stated. “Subscription isn’t merely an installment plan — it’s about care. Our power comes from the experience, community and expertise of our care managers.”

LG Electronics‘ Q9 self-driving AI dwelling hub is on show throughout the firm’s CES 2025 media day occasion at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Monday (native time). EPA-Yonhap
Robotics can be a brand new sector for his or her competitors, as the 2 firms confirmed their AI dwelling robots — Samsung’s Ballie and LG’s Q9 — can be launched out there inside this yr.
Through the press convention, the 2 CEOs stated robots can be a core focus sooner or later and predicted that humanoid robots will take the middle stage within the robotic business.
Citing Samsung Electronics’ latest funding in a robotics subsidiary, Han stated the worldwide business’s “plans for humanoids is choosing up velocity” and “Samsung additionally ought to speed up its humanoid plans.”
LG Electronics CEO Cho additionally picked humanoid robots as the corporate’s future purpose, noting that the corporate considers rising its stake in a robotics agency it invested in final yr.

Reporters hearken to presenter at LG Innotek’s sales space for CES 2025 on the Las Vegas Conference Heart, Tuesday (native time). Yonhap
Digital elements maker LG Innotek can be heralding a contest with its rival Samsung Electro-Mechanics over elements for semiconductor substrates together with flip chip-ball grid array (FC-BGA) substrates and glass substrates.
Throughout an interview on the sidelines of CES 2025, LG Innotek CEO Moon Hyuk-soo stated the corporate started mass-producing its FC-BGA substrates towards a significant North American tech firm.
“Since we’re a late starter, our FC-BGA manufacturing capability accounts for a small portion within the world manufacturing capability,” Moon stated.
“Based mostly on our knowhow and experience in digicam modules, nonetheless, we’ve achieved a really excessive stage of automation in crops, which is able to enhance our effectivity and yield in FC-BGA manufacturing in a number of years. Once we attain that stage, we could have better value competitiveness in addition to larger yield (than Samsung Electro-Mechanics).”

Samsung Electro-Mechanics CEO Chang Duck-hyun speaks throughout a press convention on the Encore at Wynn lodge in Las Vegas, Thursday (native time), on the sidelines of CES 2025. Courtesy of Samsung Electro-Mechanics
FC-BGA is a bundle substrate used for high-performance microprocessors, graphics processing items and chipsets, thus seeing rising demand as a result of world increase for AI processors. With Japanese and Taiwanese part makers main the worldwide market, Samsung Electro-Mechanics has been intently trailing them, whereas LG Innotek commenced its FC-BGA enterprise in 2022.
Whereas LG Innotek is heralding a pursuit, Samsung Electro-Mechanics CEO Chang Duck-hyun expressed his confidence within the firm’s FC-BGA enterprise. He instructed Yonhap Information Company Friday that the corporate is “in negotiation with world massive tech corporations on FC-BGA,” hinting that “they’re AI server and cloud companies.”
In a press convention a day earlier, Chang stated Samsung Electro-Mechanics will start mass-producing glass substrates in 2027, saying “we are going to provide samples to 2 to a few purchasers.”
Glass substrate is a next-generation chip substrate, which is able to possible be a breakthrough within the present scenario that the miniaturization of semiconductor manufacturing is nearing its limits.
In comparison with standard substrates, glass substrates provide a smoother floor, permitting ultra-fine circuit patterns to be transferred on the floor. This ends in semiconductor speeds rising by as much as 40 p.c, whereas energy consumption may be decreased by half.
LG Innotek CEO Moon additionally famous that cup substrates would be the mainstream for server chips, and the corporate will start producing samples within the latter half of this yr.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, second from proper, listens to a presenter throughout his go to to SK Group’s sales space for CES 2025 on the Las Vegas Conference Heart, Thursday (native time). Yonhap
Aside from Samsung and LG, SK Group’s supplies unit SKC seems to be taking an early lead within the glass substrate market.
On Wednesday, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won visited the group’s sales space at CES 2025 and said that he “simply bought” SKC’s glass substrates, implying that the corporate has already secured a consumer regardless of being within the pre-mass manufacturing section. It’s speculated that Chey had a gathering with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang simply earlier than visiting the sales space.