Established in 1983, Samsung Semiconductor, also known as SSI, is a California-based company that has more than 300 employees. It supports the original design and equipment manufacturers worldwide. The company conducts market and product research studies that focus on improving technologies and products. It designs and manufactures flash, graphic and other memory components for the computer, mobile and entertainment markets. Samsung Semiconductor also offers application-specific integrated circuits, mobile processors and chipsets for a variety of applications. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, which has more than 120 offices in over 55 countries worldwide and employs nearly 135,000 people. Samsung Electronics operates through various business units, such as LCD, digital appliances telecom and digital media.