Samsung has just moved into a new, state-of-the-art campus that cements its commitment to north San Jose and becomes an iconic symbol of the efforts that Silicon Valley tech leaders will undertake to retain and attract top talent.
It s a 1.1-million-square-foot complex featuring a 10-story structure that is becoming a landmark for that part of north San Jose. The 9.4-acre facility will house the headquarters of Samsung Electronics Device Solutions America, which is the components division of Samsung Electronics.
This is designed for long-term growth for us, said Scott Birnbaum, vice president of the display business of Samsung Semiconductor. We designed this facility to allow us to be a driving force in Silicon Valley for a long time to come.
Samsung now has about 700 employees at the site. But eventually, the tech company, whose consumer products include smart phones and television sets, intends to employ 2,000 workers at the campus, located at the corner of North First Street and Tasman Drive nest to a light rail line.
The building represents the future of north San Jose, said Kim Walesh, San Jose s economic development director. Samsung instantly realized what we wanted to do in and to be a leading part of it. North San Jose has a terrific live, work, play environment.
Samsung hopes that the gleaming campus and its amenities will help attract top talent and make it easier for the company to retain its prized employees.
The cafeteria serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The dining room has at least 11 food stations that include local cuisines that were born in the Santa Clara Valley. A gym is several floors up with attractive views. Personal trainers and dietary experts are on site. Chill Zones for relaxation, gardens and an environment with a great deal of glass and transparent sight lines are featured. Open areas and no offices encourage innovation and spontaneous collaboration, according to Birnbaum.
We want this to be more than a way to attract talent, Birnbaum said. It gets us close to our customers, helps us drive innovation, and do things in a very focused, customer-friendly way.
Samsung also placed sales, marketing and the research and development operations in one facility. That way, different groups of the company can encounter each other and collaborate easily.
We worked very closely with the city in designing and building this, Birnbaum said. The city has big plans for redeveloping the North San Jose corridor.
Photo: Samsung Electronics Device Solutions America headquarters in north San Jose. Photo credit: Samsung Electronics.
