Samsung makes a lot of things other than smartphones, tablets, and TVs. It makes display panels, batteries, and various electronic components, and they are used by several firms worldwide. Yesterday, General Motors CEO Mary Barra met with high-ranking officials from Samsung to collaborate on batteries and other electronic components for electric vehicles.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the General Motors CEO traveled to Seoul, South Korea, to meet executives from Samsung Display, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and Samsung SDI. She met with Samsung Display head Choi Joo-sun, Samsung Electro-Mechanics CEO Chang Duck-hyun, and Samsung SDI head Choi Yoon-ho on Tuesday and Wednesday. This was Mary Barra's first official visit to South Korea since becoming GM CEO in 2016.
Mary Barra reportedly discussed cooperation on the ongoing construction of a battery EV plant under the collaboration of GM and Samsung SDI. This joint venture EV plant is being built in the state of Indiana in the USA. The companies are planning to start operations at the battery plant by 2026 and have a production capacity of 30 gigawatts per year. She also discussed business related to using Samsung's camera sensors and display panels for GM's connected and EV cars.
GM CEO reportedly also met executives of LG Energy Solutions during her current trip to South Korea. General Motors and LG Energy Solutions are building a separate EV battery plant, and it is situated in Michigan, USA. Samsung SDI and LG Energy Solutions are rivals in the EV battery space, while LG Display and Samsung Display are rivals in the OLED panel market for smartphones, laptops, TVs, and EVs.