We have said farewell to 2025 and as we look ahead and welcome a new year, I am immensely proud of what our teams across Southeast Asia and Oceania (SEAO) have achieved together so far. To Samsung, the SEAO region is more than a collection of markets; it is a strategic hub of innovation, defined by dynamic growth, cultural diversity, and rapid digital adoption. While commercial targets continued to be important last year, we were also focused on anchoring Samsung as a genuine, long-term partner in SEAO’s development.

To strengthen the fundamentals that we established in 2025, I would like to share three core strategic pillars that will continue to anchor our growth path in 2026: delivering breakthrough innovations, empowering the next generation, and driving transformation for our customers; all underpinned by our commitment to become a truly AI-driven company.

Delivering Breakthrough Innovation through an AI-Driven Future

At Samsung, we believe AI has fundamentally changed how we operate, innovate, and serve our customers. We have embraced a bold vision to be an AI-driven company and are already weaving AI meaningfully into our R&D, product development, operations and user experience.

We first introduced Galaxy AI to the world back in 2024 and we have reinforced our AI leadership in 2025 as we delivered an even broader vision of living with AI. In addition to democratisation, we are driving a new era of multi-modal intelligence. This means ensuring that our hardware and software evolve together, creating devices that do not just process commands, but function as intuitive companions.

At CES 2026, we announced our efforts to create a more unified and personal experience across mobile, visual display, home appliances, and services with our “Companion to AI Living” Vision.

What excited audiences at CES 2026 was how Samsung’s displays, such as the 130-inch Micro RGB, are merging hardware excellence and visual intelligence to create a true entertainment companion for homes. For instance, Samsung’s Vision AI Companion (VAC) uses AI technology to recommend what to watch and even what music to listen to.

Lastly, we introduced our long-term vision for intelligent care driven by Samsung’s integrated device ecosystem. I am truly excited about how we can redefine care from a reactive need to proactive opportunity. We will strive to promote healthier lives by delivering helpful features across AI, phones, appliances, wearables and other connected devices.

Empowering the Next Generation

What also continues to excite me is that the next generation in SEAO will not just be users of technology; they will be creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs who shape how these applications of AI serve their communities.

I believe that technology should serve as a bridge that enables everyone, regardless of background, to connect, create, and thrive. To fully unlock this potential, we have directed our corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts towards cultivating and investing in our youth, nurturing the next generation of talent.

Our flagship Solve for Tomorrow (SFT) program empowers young people to drive meaningful change through technology and innovation. In 2025, participation grew by 40% from 2024, with a total of more than 16,900 youth across the region developing solutions to address challenges in their communities. This growth highlights young people’s readiness to apply technology in practical and meaningful ways when given the tools and opportunities.

Last year, the Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) actively bridged the regional skills gap by providing advanced information and communications technology (ICT), coding, and AI education across multiple SEAO markets. This approach mirrors our internal capability-building methodology: just as we train our employees through a structured GenAI curriculum, SIC provides youth with a similar roadmap for progression, enabling them to build foundational AI capabilities and progress to working with more complex applications.

These initiatives are more than CSR programs, but strategic investments we are making to contribute and build up the talent pipeline for our region’s AI-driven digital economy.

2026 is set to be a year where we build on this strong momentum with our CSR programs, as we aim to do even more with governments, corporations, schools, NGOs and community partners.

Driving Ecosystem Transformation

Finally, the foundation of a hyper-connected world fuelled by AI agents must be trust. At Samsung, security and privacy are at the heart of our strategy. This principle is increasingly critical as we enter an era of Agentic AI, where intelligent systems do not just respond to commands but anticipate needs and act autonomously on users’ behalf. The power of our “One Samsung” ecosystem ensures that intelligence extends seamlessly from mobile to the entire connected home via SmartThings, protected by Samsung Knox.

We also uphold this standard of trust at the enterprise level. Last year, Samsung Business Experience Studios (BES) were launched in markets including Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore. These spaces are designed to help organisations envision how they can adopt innovative Samsung solutions to meet their specific industry challenges. With additional studios set to roll out across Southeast Asia and Oceania, we look forward to more opportunities for collaboration as we partner with enterprises to implement smart and secure solutions for their businesses.

Shaping Our Future Together

My first year leading SEAO has been characterised by our efforts to innovate, empower youth, and transform ecosystems across industries, all anchored in our evolution as an AI leader.

While we are encouraged by what we have achieved so far, our work here is far from over. I invite all our partners, consumers, and regional leaders to continue this journey with us in 2026 and beyond. As we pursue our ambition to establish Samsung as the undisputed leader in AI, we will strive to ensure that AI serves everyone throughout everyday life.

Together, let us shape a future where technology does not just connect devices, but connects people, communities, and possibilities across our vibrant region.

At Samsung, we strive for continuous growth and improvement, while also recognising the importance of empowering the next generation to drive its own innovation and progress. Today, technologies like generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) are fast becoming the transformative technological developments of this era, and we strongly believe in such technologies’ potential in enhancing our capabilities.

I found a recent report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to be quite interesting; the findings revealed global human development progress – a measure of improvements in health, education and income levels according to the UNDP’s Human Development Index (HDI) – has slowed to a 35-year low. While this take is concerning, what follows is unprecedented optimism about AI’s potential – with 60% of respondents worldwide hopeful that AI will create new job opportunities^[1].

We now stand at the edge of a digital divide. As a global technology leader, we are taking on the responsibility to equip all with technology – such as AI – as well as with skills that empower them to co-create meaningful change at scale.

Inspiring Collective Innovation through Human-Centred AI

In the vibrant Southeast Asia & Oceania (SEAO) region, we are already seeing the next generation embracing AI’s potential, not just to shape careers, but also to drive meaningful social change^[2]. These insights align with the UNDP findings that show two-thirds of respondents anticipating the usage of AI in education, health or work within the next year^[1].

At Samsung, initiatives like Solve for Tomorrow (SFT), our global flagship corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, embodies the United Nations’ (UN) call for building an economy where people leverage AI rather than compete against it^[1]. Across SEAO, the 2025 edition of SFT has kicked off in Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia and New Zealand.

The Solve For Tomorrow 2024 Philippines Grand Prize winner hails from Lipa City Science Integrated National High School, with their entry, “Hi-LoWall: A Solar-Powered Rice Husk Fog Wall Utilising Evaporative Cooling”.

Through the competition, participants gain the skills and confidence to tackle complex problems, transforming their ideas into actionable solutions that solve real problems. One such example is Samsung Philippines’ Solve For Tomorrow champion in 2024, where students from Lipa City Science Integrated National High School presented an innovative and water-efficient solution using rice husk biochar fog walls to combat rising heat indices caused by El Niño, which disrupts public school operations.

Our approach to CSR also reflects the UN’s focus on embedding human agency across the full AI lifecycle, from design to deployment^[1]. Through programmes like SFT, we ensure that young innovators remain at the centre of technological solutions, and not just as passive recipients.

Investing in the Leaders of Tomorrow

Today, we are also seeing the democratisation of AI underway. Our own youth survey on AI reveals that 9 in 10 youths in SEAO are using AI daily, with the UNDP also reporting similar findings, indicating that 1 in 5 survey respondents are already utilising AI^[1].

Notably, the UNDP highlights that 70% of people in low- and medium-HDI countries expect AI to increase their productivity^[1]. At the same time, our youth survey on AI also highlights that 78% of youths in SEAO are using AI for learning^[2]. These insights reinforce the potential of AI as a bridge to new knowledge and skills, thereby making Samsung’s contributions towards skills development not just beneficial, but essential for regional economic growth and competitiveness.

Creating a future-ready workforce means bridging the digital divide, and ensuring those without easy access to education, technology and upskilling opportunities, have the support they need to both participate in and drive change.

Samsung Innovation Campus is a global education programme that helps youth build advanced IT skills and practical capabilities for better opportunities.

Across the region, we empower young people through initiatives like Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC)^[3], providing information and communications technology education in areas such as Coding & Programming, Internet of Things and AI. By bridging the skills gap and laying a foundation for future employment, we’re contributing to the development of skilled professionals and supporting national goals, such as Indonesia’s digital economy growth, which will need an additional 9 million digital talent by 2030.

In Thailand, our decade-long partnership with the Office of the Vocational Education Commission through the Dual Vocational Education (DVE) programme empowers vocational students with real-world experience and future-ready capabilities. By combining classroom learning with on-the-job training, the programme not only strengthens technical expertise, but also cultivates vital skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. This well-rounded approach ensures that students are fully equipped to succeed and contribute meaningfully to Thailand’s development.

Technology as a Bridge

This commitment to inclusivity extends beyond product design and into how we think about the future of work. As industries evolve and the green economy expands, we must ensure that no one is left behind.

By working closely with government agencies, educators, partners, customers, and the youth who will inherit this future, we are building not just products but responding to the urgent need for new approaches to development, by creating pathways where innovation uplifts communities, and ensuring that everyone has a role in shaping an AI-enhanced future.

_{^[1] Human Development progress slows to a 35-year low according to UN Development Programme report | United Nations Development Programme}

_{^[2] Samsung Insights: Youths in Southeast Asia are High Adopters of AI – Samsung Newsroom Singapore}

_{^[3] Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) is not available in Singapore.}