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Samsung to build five new R&D centers in Korea for $4.5 billion
You gotta spend money to make money. Samsung knows that, which is why the Korean powerhouse will be spending about 5 trillion won (roughly $4.5 billion) to build five new R&D centers over the next three years. All of the facilities will be in the company's homeland, with a $1 billion research center set to open in southern Seoul late in 2015. At that particular building, it's expected that some 10,000 employees will take up residence, focusing primarily on design. Samsung also plans to dedicate new R&D centers to materials and component development, as well as chips and displays. In 2012 Samsung dropped a company-record 11.9 trillion won (about $10.5 billion) on R&D, and there's no sign that it'll be slowing down anytime soon. In fact, its research budget is up about $1.4 billion from 2011. Sure, there might not be as much of an immediate windfall from the investment, like you might see from an advertising blitz or lawsuit, but we're willing to bet it keeps Sammy competitive for much of the foreseeable future.
Visualized: Nokia R&D spending, almost 3 times its peers
Our initial reaction to the Bernstein Research chart above is to wonder what value Nokia's massive R&D spending has achieved. Sadly, that's our second and third reaction, too, having spent some time with the company's Symbian OS. Let's just hope all that money was poured into MeeGo or some other megaprofitable ecosystem that it will "build or join" in 2011. Update: Added a snapshot of Nokia's R&D spending from 2007 and 2008 (when the company topped the EU with US$7.24 billion spent on R&D) after the break.
HTC confirms new research and development office in Durham, North Carolina
It's been swirling for months now, but at long last HTC has finally come forward with the official word: it'll be cracking open a new operation in the heart of North Carolina's technology hub to usher in 2011. According to the company, it'll be hiring 45 individuals at the Durham, NC-based venue, as they conduct research into "multiple areas of wireless technology, with plans to grow further during 2011 and into the future." The list of current job openings there is definitely robust, and there's little doubt that a good bit of design work will be going down just a few miles from the nearest Cook-Out. The opening of the new location marks HTC's third research and development facility in the States, with the others being positioned in Seattle and San Francisco. Out goes Sony Ericsson, in flies HTC -- fitting, don't you think?
Nokia to close Jyvskyl plant, scale down Salo facility in Finland
As with most other cellphone makers (and companies in general), Nokia managed to lose a bit of cash, market share and dignity in the completely brutal past quarter. That said, it's still doing leaps and bounds better than most, but that glimmer isn't stopping it from shutting down its Jyväskylä site and scaling back at its Salo production facility (pictured). According to Nokia, this is all part of its ongoing plan to "increase cost-efficiency and adapt to the market situation," and with the closings, it'll concentrate mobile devices R&D in Finland at Tampere, Oulu, Salo (though to a lesser extent) and the Helsinki metropolitan area. It's expected that all of the 320 employees at Jyväskylä will be sent packing by the end of this year, while temporary layoffs will be issued on a "rotational basis" (sounds thrilling, no?) at Salo. More details are stored away in the read link, but we'd avoid the depression that's lurking unless your day has just been entirely too awesome.
