Samsung Electronics is currently in the process of identifying and recruiting new talent for its research and development (R&D) operations, industry sources with knowledge of the effort said on Monday, adding that the South Korean tech giant is primarily concerned with solidifying its sustainability through new growth engines. The company’s hiring endeavor is said to be directly related to that future plan, though it’s currently unclear whether Samsung is ultimately interested in diversifying its product portfolio through new R&D divisions, bolstering its existing operations, or doing both.
The Seoul-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is reportedly pursuing R&D experts with PhDs in their respective fields, presumably in order to have them lead its future technological efforts. Samsung’s search for new talent is mainly set to benefit the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology in the Gyeonggi Province, though the tech giant is also said to be considering candidates from all over the world. Material technologies and new mobile system solutions are just one of many R&D segments that Samsung is looking to invest in through a number of new hirings, industry insiders said, adding that the firm is specifically looking for new system-on-chip (SoC), self-driving, and artificial intelligence (AI) experts, as well as those with knowledge of all kinds of sensors and battery technologies. The latter is a field that Samsung has been pursuing with an increased effort for some time now, with recent reports suggesting that the South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer has been interviewing battery tech experts in the United States and Europe for over a month. That particular endeavor is likely related to the company’s ambition to improve its quality assurance (QA) and manufacturing practices following the high-profile discontinuation of the Galaxy Note 7 that cost the firm billions of dollars after its phablet proved to be too volatile for everyday use due to a faulty battery design and implementation.
The scope of Samsung’s latest hiring spree is still unclear and its benefits likely won’t be seen in the immediate future, though the company’s recent financial report revealed that its R&D spending surpassed $13 billion in 2016 and will likely be even higher this year.