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Summary. Samsung Electronics plans to fully automate its semiconductor factories by 2030, where "smart sensors" will control the manufacturing process. The world's largest maker of memory chips wants to create an "artificial intelligence factory" that operates without human labor.

This innovation could revolutionize the semiconductor industry, potentially leading to increased efficiency and reduced costs. That transition also highlights ethical issues about AI's role in the industry.

In the news. Samsung is working on a "Smart Sensing System" to improve profitability and change factory dynamics.

  • The company has plans to fully automate its manufacturing facilities by 2030.

Zoom in. Samsung has indicated since last summer that it wants to use AI to optimize integrated circuit (IC) design, material development, manufacturing, yield improvement and packaging.

  • Identifying the cause of defects in the manufacturing process is also a top priority of the AI plan.
    • Smart sensors are being developed for this purpose. These measure plasma uniformity and detect defects in real time, which is essential for processes such as deposition, etching and cleaning.
  • Samsung is also moving from dependence on foreign suppliers to in-house development, in its quest for technological independence.

Zoom out. Samsung's initiative is indicative of a broader trend toward automation and AI in the manufacturing sector.

  • But the shift toward AI and automation raises questions about the future of employment and the role of human workers in an increasingly technological world.
  • Several studies predict a labor market tsunami as more and more companies introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI). These predict the disappearance of 1 in 4 to even 1 in 3 jobs. Fortunately, a Deutsche Bank study counters this.

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