Samsung is one of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers. Any efficiency improvements in the manufacturing process are worth a lot to the company.

To that end, the company has reportedly set up a dedicated team to work on developing robots tailored for semiconductor plants.

Korean media reports that Samsung has established an “AX/PI” dedicated team under the Global Manufacturing & Infra Technology unit of its semiconductor division. This team is taked with developing and deploying robots for increasing automation at chip fabs. AX is said to refer to “AI transformation” while PI for “process innovation.”

The team is reportedly staffed with many employees who previously worked at the company's equipment technology research institute. Following a reorganization in 2024, many of those researchers where dispersed across different technology organizations that specialize in manufacturing processes. Samsung is now said to have brought them back to work on robots for fab automation.

It's believed that the first area targeted for automation will be equipment maintenance which is presently carried out by on-site engineers and contractors. Development is reportedly in early stages with Samsung working on routes for robots to travel, work areas, and specifications for parts storage.

Robots are a key part of Samsung's future growth strategy. A renewed focus on robots for fab automation wouldn't only increase efficiency at Samsung's own fabs but also provide a commercial opportunity to the company to sell these solutions to other chipmakers.