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Samsung Electronic¡¯s semiconductor division head Hwang Chang-kyu
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Hwang Chang-kyu, fresh from surrendering his post as chief of Samsung Electronics¡¯ memory division to concentrate on the semiconductor field, is upbeat about the struggling sector¡¯s future. In an exclusive interview with the Chosun Ilbo on Wednesday, he said, ¡°I¡¯m expecting an astonishing performance in the third quarter this year. Samsung¡¯s semiconductor technology will fully come into effect in the second half of this year.¡± The company¡¯s semiconductor business has seen its worst performance in six years, with second-quarter net profit dropping by 67 percent compared to a year before to W330 billion (US$1=W915).
-Vice president Cho Soo-in took over your post at the head of the memory division.
¡°For eight years I led both the semiconductor and memory chip division. There have been discussions about it before. Personally, I always thought I should turn the post over to my juniors, and the shift came in a timely manner.¡±
-Some say your influence within Samsung Electronics has shrunk over the years.
¡°I am still in charge of semiconductor division like I used to be.¡±
On the point, Lee Hak-soo, the vice chairman of Samsung Group¡¯s corporate restructuring office, said the move to divide leadership in semiconductor and memory chip division had long been planned and speculation that the shift aimed at reducing Hwang¡¯s influence within the group was groundless.
-Is there going to be a change in Samsung¡¯s semiconductor business?
¡°Not a change in the business; but the technology and products we accumulated in the first half of this year will come into full effect in the second half. We are producing D-Ram, which accounts for 70 percent of the revenue, using cutting-edge 60 nanometer process technology.
On the flash memory front, new markets are opening up. Flash memory sales are expected to be strong due to the boom of Apple¡¯s iPhone.¡±
-What is your forecast for the third quarter?
¡°It wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for me to say that now. Year-end financial statements will show the performance in the third quarter. But I expect an astonishing performance in the third quarter unlike the first half of this year.¡±
-Because of the rise in semiconductor prices?
¡°Simple fluctuation in price does not have any influence on us. Thanks to steady research and development, we already have and continue to accumulate processing technology that works beyond market conditions. We are unrivaled in the productivity of D-Ram and ahead of competitors such as Toshiba in NAND Flash as well. Because we have accumulated technology, we will enjoy a business boom when the price of semiconductors goes up.¡±
-Is there any particular product you feel confident about for the coming quarters?
¡°Solid State Disk (SSD) will open up new markets by replacing the existing hard disk. It¡¯s made of Flash, and major producers in the U.S. and Japan are increasingly choosing SSD for their laptops. Maybe next month, we will see our SSDs dominate all the stores in Japan¡¯s Akihabara. As Apple¡¯s iPhone created a sensation in the U.S., we expect similar success with SSD.¡±
-What is your future course? Is Hwang¡¯s Law, where memory capacity doubles every year, going to kick in again this September?
¡°For now, I plan to focus on the business. As for semiconductors, we are in the process of developing a new processing technology that surpasses the existing approach. Hwang¡¯s Law continues.¡±
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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