Samsung Electronics and SK Group have submitted opinion letters expressing their intention to participate in the “U.S.-made Artificial Intelligence (AI) Export Program” being promoted by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. If the two companies join this program, semiconductor and other AI industry cooperation between South Korea and the United States is expected to be further strengthened.

According to the U.S. Federal Register on the 21st (local time), Samsung Electronics and SK Group submitted official opinion letters related to this program to the U.S. Department of Commerce on the 12th and 13th, respectively. Earlier, in July this year, President Trump signed three AI-related executive orders, declaring that “the United States will win the AI supremacy competition.” The orders encourage the export of a “full-stack” package of U.S.-made AI technologies in order to standardize U.S. AI technology in the global market, expand industrial dominance, and reduce the international community’s dependence on Chinese technology. Samsung Electronics and SK Group have signaled their intention to join this initiative of the Trump administration.

In its opinion letter, Samsung Electronics stated, “U.S. companies will lead the consortium, but for the program to operate successfully, participation by long-standing allies such as South Korea and trusted companies such as Samsung is essential.” It also emphasized, “Samsung, which has expertise in areas such as edge devices, can make a uniquely significant contribution to the program’s success through full-stack solutions.” The company indicated that, given its strengths across semiconductors and software, it can support the entire process of AI operation.

SK Group also stated in its opinion letter, “We share the administration’s goal of leading the global expansion of safe, trustworthy, and innovative AI systems,” adding, “SK’s cutting-edge technology and highly reliable products and services can contribute to achieving the goals of the AI Action Plan and the export program.”

The semiconductor industry expects that the expression of interest by domestic companies will further solidify AI cooperation between South Korea and the United States. This is because it could provide an opportunity not only to ensure a stable supply of key AI semiconductors such as high-bandwidth memory (HBM) to the United States, but also, in the medium to long term, to draw policy and institutional support from the U.S. government for South Korea’s semiconductor industry. In particular, it is expected to have a positive effect on expanding AI cooperation with U.S. big tech companies, which has recently been gaining significant momentum. However, there are concerns that the stronger the cooperation with the United States becomes, the greater the constraints and burdens may be on business operations in China.

Kim Jung-ho, professor at the School of Electrical Engineering at KAIST, said, “If the participation of South Korean companies in the U.S.-made AI Export Program is finalized, the United States will be able to secure a stable supply of memory semiconductors, while South Korean companies will gain an opportunity to enhance the predictability of their business activities.”

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