Andhra eyes AI leadership: Nara Lokesh leads high-level talks with Samsung in South Korea
New Delhi, July 8
Andhra Pradesh IT, Electronics and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh held discussions with senior executives of Samsung Electronics in South Korea, pitching the state as a potential hub for AI infrastructure, as per a statement by the Minister.
The Minister has urged Samsung Electronics to develop Andhra Pradesh as a hub for AI infrastructure, including data centres, server manufacturing, servicing, and to explore setting up a display fab in the state.
Sharing the information on X, he said he met with Samsung Electronics (South Korea) executives, including Senior Director and APAC MX Business Head Helena Park, Director of B2B Business Hee Soo Yang, and Enterprise Business Global Sales Head VP Jun Lee, during his visit to Seoul.
"I met Samsung Electronics (South Korea) Senior Director, APAC MX Business Head Helena Park, Director B2B Business Hee Soo Yang, Enterprise Business Global Sales Head VP Jun Lee in Seoul," he added.
As per the Minister's post, the discussions focused on strengthening the data-centre pipeline in Andhra Pradesh, where he requested that the state be transformed into Samsung India's hub for the full AI-compute ecosystem, including data centres, server manufacturing, and servicing.
Apart from this, he also urged the company to explore the possibility of setting up a display fabrication unit in Andhra Pradesh."Centring on the data-centre pipeline in AP, I requested to transform AP into Samsung India's hub for the full AI-compute stack, including data centres, server manufacturing, and servicing. I was urged to explore possibilities for setting up a display fab in AP," he added.
The minister was invited by the Republic of Korea as part of efforts to deepen bilateral relations and strengthen investment cooperation between the two sides. The invitation was extended by the Republic of Korea Consul-General in Chennai, Chang Nyun Kim, who said the official engagements were aimed at expanding areas of collaboration. Lokesh is on an official visit to South Korea from July 5 to July 11.
During the visit, Lokesh will hold further investment meetings with Korean companies and participate in a roundtable organised by the Korea Auto Industry Cooperation Agency. He will also attend a roadshow to encourage Korean companies to participate in the CII Partnership Summit-2026.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Sounds promising, but we've heard such big promises before. Remember the Kia plant and all the hype? Hope this time the government actually follows through with proper infrastructure - power, water, roads, and most importantly, skilled workforce. Otherwise it's just another photo op.
Samsung is a global giant. If they set up a display fab in AP, it will be a game-changer for the entire electronics manufacturing ecosystem in South India. This could be our chance to compete with Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Lokesh ji, please make sure the land acquisition is smooth and transparent.
Why not focus on making Visakhapatnam a proper IT hub first instead of chasing big companies everywhere? We still don't have proper tech parks there. It's good to aim high, but should also walk the talk at home. 🤔
As someone who works in the semiconductor industry, I can say this is significant. Display fabs require huge investments and a stable policy environment. If India can build the talent pool in AI and chip design, we could become a serious player. China is already moving fast - we shouldn't waste this moment.
I'm cautiously optimistic. The previous government also went to Davos and made all sorts of MoUs but nothing materialised. Let's see if this visit results in actual factories or just more news articles. The people of Andhra need jobs, not press releases. 🙏
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