Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it donated $1 million to community partners in Texas to support their winter storm relief efforts.

The South Korean tech giant said its donation will be used to provide food, water, health services and shelters in the US state where severe weather caused big damages, including a power outage.

"People are in need, and Samsung wants to help," said Choi Kyung-sik, CEO of Samsung Electronics North America. "We remain committed to the communities where we live, work and support our customers."

Last year, Samsung donated more than $4 million to nonprofit organizations across the US to support COVID-19 relief efforts.

Samsung runs a chip plant in Austin, Texas, but due to a power cut induced by the winter storm, it has not been in production for more than two weeks.

This is the first time that Samsung's Austin factory has been shut since it was built in 1998. Industry observers speculated that it may take a couple of weeks to resume its operations.

Samsung recently asked authorities in Texas for tax credits if it decides to build a new chip plant in the region. The world's largest memory chip producer is also considering other sites in the US, including Arizona and New York, for its potential new semiconductor plant.

Samsung has more than 6,000 employees and has invested more than $17 billion in Texas over the past few decades. (Yonhap)