Samsung plans to get into the self-driving car industry

Samsung might soon be getting into the self-driving car business, but maybe not the way you’d think. The South Korean technology giant has just released its plans to create a team that will develop car parts for other companies. This new automotive division will be separate from Samsung’s other three business units, and will focus on producing components to be used in self-driving cars. The press release states that the division will begin focusing on in-car infotainment systems, satellite navigation, and the manufacturing of autonomous vehicle components.

This is the company’s first public acknowledgment of its interest in the self-driving car market. Of course, mobile technology will play a huge roll in the way we live in the future, and Samsung wants to be at the forefront of that movement. Samsung has been producing smartphone components for other OEMs throughout the years. Displays, processors, batteries and more are all businesses Samsung is a part of, so it should come as no surprise that the company wants to try its hand at the smart car business. As Engadget notes, Samsung moving into the self-driving car business in this way allows for a more cautious move into the new field, rather than diving head-first into making its own car from scratch.

According to The Wall Street Journal, this big announcement comes at a time where Samsung’s smartphone business is struggling. Just last week Samsung Electronics announced it will be replacing its mobile chief, J.K. Shin, with D.J. Koh, an executive who has a strong background in mobile research and development.