Samsung's India research and development (R&D) arm has emerged as a pivotal force in the company's global product engineering, according to Jong Bum Park, President and CEO of Samsung Southwest Asia. In a recent statement, Park highlighted the significance of Samsung's Indian operations, recognizing it as the most influential engineering team outside of the company's South Korean headquarters, rivaling even the US. This declaration comes as Samsung marks 30 years of its presence in India.

The India engineering operations play a central role in the development of smartphones, which account for 38% of Samsung's global revenue of $219 billion in fiscal year 2024. Notably, the entire camera unit and its software for flagship smartphones were developed and engineered in India, along with the Galaxy A series smartphones. Furthermore, as Samsung delves deeper into artificial intelligence (AI), a significant portion of the engineering for its three global AI platforms, including on-device AI features, is being conducted in India.

With a renewed vision called '#PoweringInnovationForIndia,' Samsung is reinforcing its commitment to people-centric innovation, India-led R&D, and a robust 'Make in India' manufacturing ecosystem. This initiative involves deeper investments in local R&D and design, strengthening partnerships with India's startup and developer ecosystem, expanding advanced manufacturing capabilities, and enabling the next generation through education, skilling, and citizenship initiatives.

Park also revealed plans to manufacture its latest Galaxy Z series at its Noida facility while leveraging AI innovations from its Bengaluru R&D center to compete with Chinese brands in the Indian smartphone market.

Samsung's operations in India include two manufacturing plants in Noida and Chennai, three R&D centers in Delhi, Noida, and Bengaluru, and a design center in the Delhi NCR region. These facilities contribute to global product development across AI, accessibility features, language intelligence, streaming technologies, and network systems. Samsung Design Delhi develops India-focused features and products, including children's TV offerings and design elements for Galaxy M and F series devices.

Samsung India reported a revenue of ₹1.11 trillion in the financial year 2024-25. The company's India business accounted for 6% of its global revenue that year, nearly double that of what the India teams of most tech firms contribute to global revenue.

Looking ahead, Park envisions a future where smartphones could replace laptops entirely, driven by AI. He also highlighted the potential for AI-powered real-time translation across India's numerous dialects.

As Samsung celebrates 30 years in India, the company is deeply embedded in the country's growth story, shaped by Indian talent, strengthened by local manufacturing, and driven by innovations designed in India for the world.