Samsung partners Swiss semiconductor firm

South Korean electronics giant Samsung hopes to promote its foundry business by partnering Swiss semiconductor manufacturer STMicroelectronics.

Yonhap News Agency reported Friday Samsung will develop 32- and 28-nano chip technology as part of the cooperation with Geneva-based STMicroelectronics, which is the seventh-largest chipmaker in the world. The partnership will help Samsung expand its foundry business.

Samsung said its foundry has started making the Swiss company's 32- and 28-nanometer system on chips (SoC) for mobile devices, home appliances and network systems.
The South Korean tech giant recently invested some US$4 billion in a chip-making plant renovation in the United States, to meet growing demand for its smartphones.

It was also embroiled in a patent battle with Apple, and currently disputing a U.S. court verdict ordering it to pay the Cupertino firm US$1.05 billion in damages. Samsung is one of Apple's chip suppliers, which has reportedly been cutting back on their partnership to reduce its reliance on its rival.