To help make this spring extra special, the centers, known for their strict protocols and security, organized their first official photo contest. Held from April 6 to May 3, the contest offered employees across four Samsung semiconductor campuses a chance to soak in the sun, admire blooming cherry blossoms, and share snapshots of the beauty that surrounds them every day.

Take a look at some of the contest’s standout submissions below.

“Canola Flowers, Pinwheels and Onyang” by Myeong-ho Lee

Budding flowers are a sure sign that spring has finally come. Viewers of this vibrant image of canola flowers and pinwheels may be surprised to learn that it was snapped not on Korea’s picturesque Jeju Island, but at Samsung’s Onyang Campus.

“Symphony of Spring” by Dae-young Kim

Dae-young Kim’s photograph, captured while strolling around the Hwaseong Campus at lunchtime, depicts rows of beautiful tulips lining a tranquil stream in front of the campus’s cafeteria.

“Cherry Blossom Road” by Sang-hun Kim

For Sang-hun Kim, the contest offered an excellent opportunity to enjoy the spring weather with colleagues. One day, when crossing the cherry blossom tree-lined road that leads to the Onyang Campus’s dormitory, Kim was reminded of the iconic cover of the Beatles’ “Abbey Road” album.

Inspired, Kim returned to the crosswalk with his colleagues to snap a fun, Abbey Road-esque photo. His usual route to work had instantly transformed into a scenic setting for an unforgettable shot.

“Spring, Colorful Pinwheels, and Us” by Sang-hun Kim

Elsewhere on the Onyang Campus, colleagues pose for a playful photo amongst pinwheels spinning in the warm spring breeze.

“Smiles in Spring” by Young-ho Shin

Employees at the Onyang Campus are all smiles as they pause for a photo beneath blooming cherry blossoms. As you can see from their beaming smiles, the team is enjoying the relaxing time together.

“Let’s Run Together” by Youngjong Yoon

Each spring, the Giheung and Hwaseong Campuses organize their annual employee fun run, the Spring Race for Love. Proceeds from the race go toward efforts to enrich the campuses’ respective communities. A Giheung Campus employee Youngjong Yoon captured this candid shot of race participants using his camera.

“Beautiful R&D Center” by Il-jin Shin

For Il-jin Shin, the all-glass exterior of the Onyang Campus’s R&D Center proved the perfect canvas for capturing the beauty of a bright spring sky.

“Building Flowers” by Il-jin Shin

Here we have another submission from Il-jin Shin, taken in front of the Onyang Campus’s TP Center. The bright pastel colors adorning Buildings 1, 2 and 3 reminded Shin of spring flowers in bloom.

“Night View of MR 1 Building at Hwaseong Campus” by Hyeon-gang Heo

The photo contest showcased the unique and creative perspectives of Samsung employees.

Light trails created by car and bus headlights symbolize the dynamic nature of Samsung’s semiconductor business. It took Hyeon-gang Heo quite a bit of time to find the perfect moment to take the photo. However, as he notes, the end result was well worth the wait.

“Line 17 at Night” by Dong-jin Lim

Lastly, we have the contest’s grand prize-winning entry, captured by Dong-jin Lim at the Hwaseong Campus. The image depicts two employees as they head back to work at the Line 17 building – the campus’s latest production facility.

The summer heat may be on its way, but the talented individuals at Samsung’s semiconductor manufacturing sites will continue to greet each day with the zeal of spring, and do their part to help usher in a brighter future.

With this new EUV line, Samsung will be able to strengthen its leadership in single nanometer process technology by responding to market demand from various applications, including mobile, server, network, and HPC (high performance computing), for which high performance and power efficiency are critical.

The new facility is expected to be completed within the second half of 2019 and start production ramp-up in 2020. The initial investment in the new EUV line is projected to reach USD 6 billion by 2020 and additional investment will be determined depending on market circumstances.

Kinam Kim, President & CEO of Device Solutions at Samsung Electronics, gives a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for Samsung’s new EUV (extreme ultraviolet) line in Hwaseong, Korea.

“With the addition of the new EUV line, Hwaseong will become the center of the company’s semiconductor cluster spanning Giheung, Hwaseong and Pyeongtaek in Korea,” said Kinam Kim, President & CEO of Device Solutions at Samsung Electronics. “The line will play a pivotal role as Samsung seeks to maintain a competitive edge as an industry leader in the coming age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

Samsung has decided to utilize cutting-edge EUV technology starting with its 7-nanometer (nm) LPP (Low Power Plus) process. This new line will be set up with EUV lithography equipment to overcome nano-level technology limitations. Samsung has continued to invest in EUV R&D to support its global customers for developing next-generation chips based on this leading-edge technology.

Samsung Electronics Hwaseong Campus EUV line bird’s eye view

Coming to work may be a daily grind, but it helps if the walk to the office is a pleasant stroll. What also helps is that, under a few ground rules, employees use flexible working hours, making it easier to manage work-life balance.

Semiconductors are fabricated in “cleanrooms,” where the environment is strictly managed to keep internal conditions, such as temperature, humidity and air pressure, at a constant level. Such measures are optimized for the ever-shrinking chips being manufactured, today mostly designed in nanometer (nm) scale, as well as for the workers inside.

Given the fact that 10nm is about one 10,000th the width of a single strand of hair, even a particle in few-cubic-micrometers could easily damage the circuits on our advanced chips. Workers wear “smocks” to prevent particles from being released into the cleanroom and would go through an air shower before entering the area. Even special paper and pens are required to take notes in there.

One of the key initiatives that go in tandem with efficient manufacturing is the safety of our workers on site. More than 500 safety professionals on staff oversee everyday operations and conduct regular inspections to ensure that all of our facilities comply with the most stringent regulations, locally and globally.

Every team within the company is required to train at least one of its members as an emergency care agent. The agents receive 16 hours of training on emergency response, including life-saving techniques such as CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and the Heimlich maneuver.

Employees are also trained to put out fires. As shown above, new hires begin safety training when they are initially hired and continue on a monthly basis throughout their careers based on a custom-curated curriculum.

Of course, there is a lot of research, development and other day-to-day businesses that go on but it’s also vital for us to stay active. Several sports fields around campus as well as an indoor stadium are very popular with more than 160 inter-company sports clubs’ activities, company events and performances.

Even at tech companies, often the question of the day is what to have for lunch. Calories and sodium levels of each plate are displayed on the menu so that employees can make healthy and informed decisions about their diet.

The 12 cafeterias at the Giheung and Hwaseong campuses run 24-7, with up to 20 menu selections a day from all corners of the world that would tickle any palette.

A walk after lunch is an excellent way to start the afternoon. More than 600,000m² of greenspace is managed in Giheung and Hwaseong campuses combined, an area equivalent to more than 75 soccer fields.

A coffee break under a tree is just as refreshing. More than 60,000 trees in Giheung and Hwaseong campuses include numerous species such as pine, oak, ginkgo and elm, which provide the perfect shade to cool off.

Employees can also look after their health by working out at one of the several gyms across campus that are equipped for weights, treadmill, swimming, pilates, squash and climbing. About 4,000 employees per day use the gyms regularly.

Personal trainers are also available on site to help you work out the muscles you didn’t know you had.

In case of the unfortunate event of feeling under the weather, employees can drop by the healthcare center on site for primary care from physicians, dentists, dermatologists, acupuncturists, pharmacists and counselors on staff. Physical therapy, musculoskeletal treatment and regular health checkup services are also available.