Samsung in Silicon Valley to recruit IT workers
SAN JOSE — Samsung Electronics has become a global leader in the semiconductor business, accounting for the largest market share in the entire chip market in 2018. The background of such success came from its effort to secure more skilled workers in Silicon Valley where the world’s top IT talents are gathered, the firm said Friday.
Samsung’s Device Solutions America (DSA), the U.S. headquarters of the firm’s memory business unit, has been running various businesses in Silicon Valley ranging from marketing, sales and research & development. What is astonishing is the office building, which was newly built in 2016, has been offering top-class benefits to its employees.
“The 10-story building is the subject of envy of employees of nearby global IT firms such as Google and Apple for its enhanced facilities,” said Oh Jong-hoon, chief financial officer of Samsung DSA.
“The building has three outdoor gardens and is equipped with various kinds of sports facilities including tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts and fitness centers.”
Oh said Samsung DSA is as old as the history of Samsung’s semiconductor business as it was established in 1983 when it produced its first 64-kilobit chip.
To become a sustainable leader in the chip business, Oh said providing quality benefits to its employees is the bare essential to survive in competition with global IT firms such as Apple, Google and Facebook.
“In Silicon Valley, we can hire top talents that are hard to find in Korea,” Oh said. “Compared to the headquarters of Apple, Google and Facebook, our building is small. However, we have been trying to provide quality benefits to our employees so we can recruit more jobseekers.”
The dining hall of the facility is also the highest quality among Silicon Valley firms, Oh said. “We have a total of 14 stations, meaning employees can enjoy a variety of food options ranging from Korean, Japan- ese, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, American and even a station for fresh juice. Every employee here is very proud of the dining hall,” Oh said.
There are more than 1,100 employees at the DSA headquarters, including 400 from sales and marketing departments, 600 from R&D and 150 from the Samsung Strategy and Innovation Center (SSIC). In the nearby town in Mountain View, Samsung is also operating another R&D unit Samsung Research America, dedicated to the study of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Entering the headquarters, a security robot that is equipped with sensors and cameras comes into sight. Samsung said a total of three robots in the parking lot are monitoring the area surrounding the building for 24 hours.
Also, the building is powered with 100 percent renewable energy in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint.