Mukesh Ambani, chair of India’s Reliance Industries and Asia’s wealthiest man, is set to visit South Korea next week for high-level meetings with Samsung Electronics Chair Lee Jae-yong, according to industry sources on Wednesday.
Ambani is scheduled to arrive in Seoul on Tuesday for a two-day visit, accompanied by his eldest son, Akash Ambani, who serves as chair of Reliance Jio Infocomm, the telecom arm of Reliance Group, sources said.
The upcoming visit is expected to focus on deepening strategic collaboration between Reliance and Samsung in next-generation technologies, with particular emphasis on 5G and 6G telecommunications infrastructure, artificial intelligence and other future-oriented business opportunities.
Reliance Industries, one of India’s largest and most diversified business groups, operates across a wide spectrum of sectors, including petrochemicals, steel, telecommunications, retail and finance. Its telecom affiliate Reliance Jio is one of the world’s largest mobile operators, with a subscriber base nearing 500 million.
Samsung Electronics has been a key technology partner in the rollout of Jio’s 4G network in India, providing critical telecommunications equipment. With Jio now accelerating the deployment of its nationwide 5G network, expectations are rising that Samsung could win additional supply contracts.
Further opportunities for collaboration are also emerging as Reliance pushes forward with the construction of a 3-gigawatt-scale data center in India — part of its broader initiative to expand AI infrastructure. Industry watchers view this project as a potential new business avenue for Samsung, which has been seeking to grow its footprint in the global digital infrastructure market.
Samsung first entered the Indian market in 1995 and has since become the country’s leading electronics brand, driven by strong sales in smartphones and home appliances.
Lee has attended the wedding ceremonies of all three of Ambani's children. Lee was present at the weddings of Ambani’s eldest son in 2018, his daughter in 2019 and most recently, his youngest son in 2024, reflecting the close ties between the Korean business leader and the Indian conglomerate family.
yeeun@heraldcorp.com
