Samsung Display chief vows differentiated technology, new Asan complex as keys to growth

Samsung Display President Lee Cheong used the company's 14th anniversary ceremony to call for stronger differentiated technology capabilities, while reaffirming plans to build a second complex in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, as a new springboard for growth.

Speaking Friday before about 300 employees at Samsung Display Research in Giheung, Gyeonggi Province, Lee said this year had been "a business inflection point marked by challenging targets" — including 8.6-generation OLED panels, foldable displays and AI device products. "Through relentless effort and challenge, you have achieved meaningful results," Lee said.

The business environment facing Samsung Display remains difficult. Surging demand from AI data centers has driven semiconductor prices sharply higher, widening uncertainty across the set market — a ripple effect the display industry cannot avoid.

"To protect our present and future in this environment, we must once again return to the basics: customer trust and technology leadership," Lee said.

Lee was particularly direct about the competitive stakes. "Differentiated technology that overwhelms our rivals is the only path forward," Lee said, urging the company to strengthen its commercialization capabilities beyond existing business areas and continuously open new markets.

Lee also reaffirmed the commitment to the Asan 2nd complex investment as a catalyst for a new chapter. Samsung Display is reviving construction of the complex five years after halting it in 2021. Lee personally announced the 67 trillion won ($50.2 billion) development plan at a national briefing on the Chungcheong region's advanced-industry vision in July.

The company recently issued a tender for structural framing work on a new factory — designated A7 — within the complex, with ground-breaking planned for early next year and completion targeted for 2028. The complex is intended to get ahead of anticipated demand for OLED panels for foldable devices and IT products such as laptops and tablets. Production of displays for XR (extended reality) and automotive applications, as well as for humanoid robots and wearables, is also planned.

"We have resumed the investment in the 2nd complex to achieve a new leap forward," Lee said. "This investment is not simply a capacity expansion — it is a bold challenge for growth and our future."

Lee closed by drawing a line from the company's past to its next chapter. "Just as 14 years of innovation have made Samsung Display what it is today, the new challenges we take on now will drive our growth," Lee said.