Emerging Challenges
Despite the improved R&D performance, Samsung's corporate R&D center faces many challenges. First, Samsung is rapidly leapfrogging from a technological follower to a global leader. During the last three decades, Samsung has been focusing on the imitation and internalization of key technologies developed by global leaders. Now, however, as a global leader it has to develop its own technological innovations and change the role of the corporate R&D center. Instead of pursuing a catching-up technology strategy of imitation and acquisition of advanced technologies, SAIT must create new business areas and drive technological innovations by investing in emerging research areas with a high level of uncertainty, such as nanoelectronics, energy and intelligence. It must develop a balanced strategy between exploitation in existing businesses and exploration in new businesses.