Samsung SDS outlines AI transformation biz strategy at REAL Summit

Samsung SDS outlined its strategy for artificial intelligence (AI) transformation during its conference for enterprise customers and industry experts, Tuesday, announcing new partnerships with leading AI firms including OpenAI, Anthropic and Walden Robotics.

The IT solution company held REAL Summit 2026 at the Coex convention center in southern Seoul, drawing more than 15,000 on-site and online participants.

During his keynote speech, Samsung SDS CEO Lee June-hee stressed that AI transformation is “a much more fundamental change than simply adopting AI to save time and costs.”

“AI transformation means completely redesigning the way we work from scratch, rather than improving some aspects of existing work processes with AI. It means companies that used to wait for customer requests can act before customers even ask … AI changes how work is done, but AI transformation changes the business itself.”

Lee cited a McKinsey & Company survey showing that 88 percent of global businesses have introduced at least one AI system into their work processes, but only 6 percent said AI is making a meaningful contribution to their profits.

“There is a clear gap between introduction of AI and generating actual outcome,” he said. He noted that redesigning work process, securing AI-ready data and optimizing operation of multiple AI agents as the key values to facilitate a successful AI transformation.

During the event, Samsung SDS outlined its strategy to assist customers’ AI transformation, through its AI infrastructure, platform, development, consulting and operating expertise.

Samsung SDS is currently in partnership with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Cloud, Nvidia, Accenture and a number of other industry leaders in building a top-tier AI ecosystem spanning models, infrastructure and other key areas.

The company was Korea’s first partner company authorized to consult domestic customer companies to introduce OpenAI’s ChatGPT Enterprise. Expanding their partnership, Samsung SDS said Tuesday it will join OpenAI’s Daybreak Partner Program as a pilot partner.

Daybreak is a cybersecurity initiative that gives a limited number of verified partner companies access to OpenAI’s most advanced AI models to test for cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

In July, Samsung SDS became the first Korean company to form a strategic partnership with Anthropic, joining forces to help domestic companies accelerate their AI transformation. The two companies also said they will combine their technological capabilities and business expertise to jointly develop new AI transformation opportunities.

“Both OpenAI and Anthropic place great emphasis on partner companies’ security capabilities, because they are focused on preventing vulnerabilities on the partner companies,” Lee said during a press conference after his speech.

“Samsung SDS demonstrated a high level of security capability and become a pilot partner for OpenAI’s Daybreak program. We will be able to conduct our own security verification and assess software used at customer sites, which could also serve as an opportunity to raise the overall security standards of Korean industries.”

OpenAI Korea General Manager Kim Kyoung-hoon and Anthropic Korea Representative Director Choi Ki-young appeared at the event, sharing their respective cooperation plans with Samsung SDS.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a video message that: “AI is opening up extraordinary possibilities for what people and companies can achieve. Ideas that were once thought beyond reach are becoming things that people can actually build. We are proud to be working with Samsung SDS to help make that opportunity real.”

During the event, Samsung SDS said it will expand its business into robotics transformation, extending its AI transformation support from digital operations to physical manufacturing sites.

At a booth, the company also exhibited robotics solutions powering various robots, including those from Samsung affiliate Rainbow Robotics and Chinese robot hand specialist Wuzi.

Samsung SDS said it is developing technologies to automate manufacturing with robots and operate the entire production process more efficiently. Starting in 2027, the company plans to introduce a robot orchestration platform that connects production equipment and robots under centralized control.

“We are initially targeting automation demand across manufacturing sites, including those of Samsung’s manufacturing affiliates, and are also considering expansion into global markets after verifying the performance of general-purpose robots,” said Joseph Ahn, executive vice president of Samsung SDS’ Digital Factory Business Unit.

The company also said it has formed a strategic partnership with Walden Robotics, a global humanoid robotics company. Samsung SDS is expanding cooperation with global physical AI partners to automate various manual tasks at manufacturing sites.