Samsung Electronics has launched a powerful new in-house computing system to fundamentally change how it develops new products.
The company's DX (Device eXperience) division, which is responsible for finished products like smartphones and home appliances, has deployed 517 high-performance computing (HPC) servers at its Sangam data center. This move dramatically boosts computational power, allowing for a nearly six-fold increase in virtual testing. The real-world impact is clear: a TV drop test that once took 15 days can now be simulated in just two. This shift from slow physical testing to rapid virtual simulation, known as a digital twin, is set to break bottlenecks in the product launch cycle.
This isn't just a simple technology upgrade; it's a critical piece of Samsung's larger strategy to create 'AI-driven autonomous factories' by 2030. Think of it as building a bridge. This HPC system establishes the first half—a digital twin for the development phase. The ultimate goal is to connect this to a digital twin of the manufacturing phase, creating a seamless, AI-optimized process from initial design to final production.
So, why is this happening now? Several key factors have converged. First is the dual strategy of security and efficiency. While Samsung is allowing employees to use external generative AI tools for general productivity, it is deliberately keeping its most valuable assets—confidential product designs and validation data—secure within its own on-premise infrastructure. This allows the company to accelerate its AI transformation without compromising its intellectual property.
Second, there was a need for tangible results within the organization. Amid recent discussions about compensation disparities and the risk of labor strikes, the DX division faced pressure to demonstrate clear, quantifiable achievements. By delivering measurable improvements like reduced development time, this HPC project serves as a strong internal success story.
Finally, the external environment is supportive. The South Korean government is actively promoting industrial digital transformation through new legislation, providing both justification and a favorable backdrop for Samsung's investment. In short, this HPC deployment is a strategic move that executes a long-term vision, solves an immediate security challenge, and delivers a timely internal victory.
- Digital Twin: A virtual model of a physical object or system, used for simulations and analysis before building or changing the physical counterpart.
- HPC (High-Performance Computing): The use of supercomputers and parallel processing to solve complex computational problems far faster than on a standard computer.
- On-premise: IT infrastructure that is hosted within an organization's own physical facilities, rather than on a public cloud service.