Mubasher: Samsung Electronics will raise its investments in logic chip businesses to KRW 171 trillion ($151 billion) through 2030 to boost research and development of semiconductor process technology and accelerate the construction of a new production facility.

The company's investments in the system LSI and foundry businesses have increased by KRW 38 trillion from KRW 133 trillion, previously announced in April 2019, according to a press release on Thursday.

Samsung has been cooperating with various semiconductor design companies, component and equipment manufacturers, and academia for the past two years to achieve its objective of becoming the world leader in logic chips.

The company's plan to expand the foundry business will help supply the new industries based on the next-generation technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), 5G, and autonomous driving.

This investment comes as countries are facing a chip shortage, which has a negative impact on production in industries such as autos.

As part of its goal, the company also started the construction of a new production line in Pyeongtaek, Korea, which is forecast to be completed in the second half (H2) of 2022. 

Equipped with the latest technology, P3, the facility will produce 14-nanometer DRAM and 5-nanometer logic semiconductors, both based on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology.

The Vice Chairman and Head of Device Solutions Division at Samsung Electronics, Kinam Kim, said: "The entire semiconductor industry is facing a watershed moment and now is the time to chart out a plan for long-term strategy and investment."