Samsung Group’s Robot Ecosystem Strategy Expands Across All Affiliates with Rainbow Robotics at the Core
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News has emerged that Samsung Group is elevating its robotics business to a next-generation core strategy, embarking on significant investments across all affiliates. Notably, by positioning its subsidiary, Rainbow Robotics, as the central axis, the group is expanding robot automation across diverse sectors, from manufacturing to healthcare, shipbuilding, and catering. This move indicates that robots are being positioned as a key component of the group’s overall digital transformation strategy, beyond mere technology adoption.
The most striking development is the increase in Samsung Electronics’ order volume for Rainbow Robotics. The cumulative order amount reached 6.88 billion won by the third quarter of 2025, a 258% increase compared to the cumulative 1.92 billion won in the second quarter. Even more astonishing is the 374% surge compared to last year’s annual total of 1.45 billion won. This explosive growth demonstrates that Samsung Electronics is utilizing collaborative robots not just at an experimental level but as a full-fledged tool for production innovation.
At the end of last year, Samsung Electronics became the largest shareholder of Rainbow Robotics and simultaneously established the ‘Future Robot Promotion Team’ directly under the CEO. It’s interesting to note that this team is led by Professor Jun-ho Oh, a founding member of Rainbow Robotics and an honorary professor at KAIST. This clearly indicates a strategic intent to maximize technological synergy beyond mere investment. The Future Robot Promotion Team is focusing on developing future robot technologies, including humanoids, showcasing Samsung’s commitment to securing long-term technological leadership in the robotics field.
Personally, I find Samsung Group’s approach to be highly strategic. By building a robot ecosystem at the group level, rather than as a single affiliate, they are developing customized robot solutions tailored to the characteristics of each affiliate. This could become a unique model for securing differentiated competitiveness in the global robotics market.
Diversity in Robot Adoption Strategies by Affiliate
Samsung Display, for instance, is collaborating with Rainbow Robotics within the humanoid MAX (M.AX) alliance to develop humanoids specialized for display processes. This research aims to verify whether humanoids can directly participate in ultra-precision panel processes, serving as a practical pilot project for Samsung Display’s robot deployment strategy. Given the extreme precision and cleanliness required in display manufacturing processes, the effectiveness of humanoids in such environments will be crucial.
In October, Samsung Heavy Industries signed a memorandum of understanding with Rainbow Robotics for automation cooperation in shipbuilding and manufacturing processes, accelerating the construction of a ‘smart shipyard.’ They are developing an automated system incorporating collaborative robots, mobile dual-arm robots, and quadruped robots, with the application of quadruped robots in shipyards being a particularly innovative attempt. Considering the complex terrain and hazardous work environment of shipyards, quadruped robots have the potential to perform inspections or welding tasks in areas inaccessible to traditional wheel-based robots.
In the medical field, Samsung Seoul Hospital has been selected as a phase 1 institution for the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s ‘2025 First Korean ARPA-H Project,’ in collaboration with Rainbow Robotics. They are developing a humanoid surgical assistant robot based on physical AI, aiming for a dual-arm robot that performs repetitive and precise tasks in the operating room, with autonomous assistance functions that understand and predict the surgical context in real-time. Unlike existing surgical robots like the Da Vinci, which operate remotely, this project aims for a next-generation surgical robot with AI-based autonomous decision-making capabilities.
Samsung Welstory has also entered into an agreement with Rainbow Robotics from 2023 to promote robot automation in the group catering sector. In addition to the existing ‘Wellybot’ cooking robot, they are jointly developing a robotic arm solution optimized for mass catering, which is expected to address labor shortages in the labor-intensive catering industry while ensuring consistency in cooking quality.
Competitive Positioning in the Global Robotics Market
Samsung Group’s strategy reveals even more intriguing aspects when viewed in the context of the global robotics market. Currently, the collaborative robot market is led by Denmark’s Universal Robots, with Germany’s KUKA, Switzerland’s ABB, and Japan’s FANUC also competing. In China, companies like Korebot and Daofeng Robotics are rapidly growing. In this fiercely competitive environment, the key will be what differentiated value the Samsung-Rainbow Robotics alliance can offer.
The strength of Rainbow Robotics lies in its diverse range of robot solutions. Their portfolio is extensive, encompassing not only collaborative robots but also mobile dual-arm robots, quadruped robots, and humanoids. In the humanoid sector, they face competition from the likes of Boston Dynamics in the U.S., Honda’s ASIMO, and Tesla’s Optimus. The opportunities for real-world testing through Samsung Group’s various affiliates are expected to significantly aid in technological advancement.
In fact, the most crucial aspect of robot technology development is the process of verification and improvement in real-world settings. No matter how advanced the technology, it is meaningless if it cannot operate stably in actual industrial environments. In this regard, what Samsung Group offers Rainbow Robotics is not merely sales opportunities but an optimal testbed for technology verification and improvement. The ability to simultaneously test technology in fields with completely different environments and requirements, such as manufacturing, display, shipbuilding, healthcare, and catering, can be a tremendous competitive advantage.
Recent year-end executive appointments also highlight Samsung’s commitment to the robotics field. They have appointed key leaders responsible for robot AI and robot platform development, such as Vice President Jeong-hyun Kwon, who joined the Future Robot Promotion Team, and Executive Director Goeun Choi, an expert in autonomous driving and manipulation software. These appointments are interpreted as signals of a long-term investment commitment to the robotics business, rather than mere organizational restructuring.
Industry analysts suggest that this internal organizational restructuring at Samsung is forming a company-wide synergy in collaboration with Rainbow Robotics, coinciding with the expansion of robot adoption by affiliate. There is a growing assessment that Samsung’s group-wide movement to integratively build an ecosystem from robot R&D to field application and future investment and partnerships has become more pronounced.
Personally, I think this approach is quite wise. Robot technology is still in its early stages, and it is unclear which type of robot will be most effective in which field. By testing and improving various types of robots simultaneously through different affiliates, they can develop solutions optimized for each field, which could be a significant competitive advantage.
However, there are a few concerns. First is the technical complexity. Given the vastly different requirements of each affiliate, there is a risk of resource dispersion for Rainbow Robotics. Second is market validation. Success within Samsung Group does not necessarily translate to success in the external market. Third is global competitiveness. No matter how successful domestically, more investment and time will be needed to compete with established players like Universal Robots and ABB in the global market.
Nevertheless, as of November 29, 2025, Samsung Group’s strategy to build a robot ecosystem is considered a highly meaningful endeavor. Especially in terms of strengthening Korea’s manufacturing competitiveness and responding to future industries, such large-scale investments and demonstration projects are believed to hold significant national importance. It will be interesting to observe the outcomes of robot adoption by each affiliate and the pace of technological advancement at Rainbow Robotics.
This article was written after reading a news article, with additional personal opinions and analysis.
Disclaimer: This blog is not a news outlet, and the content reflects the author’s personal views. The responsibility for investment decisions lies with the investor, and the author assumes no responsibility for investment losses based on the content of this article.
