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Apple hires Samsung battery exec

It may be trying to wean itself off third-party batteries.

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Samsung to invest 6 billion Euros in OLED for Apple

An executive from a Samsung battery affiliate is working for Apple now.

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Apple has hired a Samsung executive to work on battery technology.

Soonho Ahn, a former senior vice president at battery-making affiliate Samsung SDI, joined Apple in December, according to his LinkedIn profile, as reported Wednesday by Bloomberg.

According to his profile, his new title at Apple is global head of battery developments.  

He worked at Samsung SDI from April 2015 until this past December. Before joining Samsung SDI, he was an engineering professor and an executive at LG Chem.

Samsung SDI has been a lithium-ion battery supplier for Apple, but such a high-profile hire suggests that Apple is trying to move away from using third-party power supplies, Bloomberg noted.

Apple has reportedly been developing its own MicroLED screens for future devices. Currently, its displays are mostly supplied by Samsung and LG.

Neither Apple nor Samsung immediately responded to requests for comment.