Samsung to buy German cooling system maker FlaktGroup for $1.7 billion

• Samsung to buy German maker of air conditioning, heating systems
• Deal is firm's biggest acquisition in eight years since Harman
• Samsung aims to tap demand for AI data centre cooling
• Analysts say market expected biggest deals to involve chips

SEOUL, May 14 (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics 005930.KS said on Wednesday it had agreed to buy Germany's FlaktGroup for 1.5 billion euros ($1.68 billion) as it looks to meet growing demand for cooling of data centres used for artificial intelligence projects.

In the South Korean company's biggest acquisition in eight years, it will purchase the air conditioning and heating systems maker from private equity group Triton.

The data centre segment has a high barrier to entry requiring global supply experience and the ability to present optimal designs and solutions, Samsung said in a statement. It expects the FlaktGroup deal to close within this year, it said.

Samsung, led by Chairman Jay Y. Lee, said at a shareholder meeting in March that it was looking for "meaningful" deals this year to drive growth after lagging behind rivals in tapping the AI chip boom led by Nvidia NVDA.O. Samsung added it aimed to pursue acquisitions in the chip industry.

Investors expecting bigger deals involving Samsung's cash-cow chip business might feel underwhelmed by the FlaktGroup announcement, analysts said.

"This acquisition is more about reinforcing its consumer electronics and home appliance businesses, so it is not the game-changing deal the market had been hoping for," said Greg Roh, head of research at Hyundai Motor Securities.

Samsung's appliance business also makes commercial cooling and heating systems.

"It feels like the company is playing it safe rather than making bold bets," Roh said.

Shares in the consumer electronics and semiconductor maker inched up 0.7% largely in line with the benchmark KOSPI .KS11.

Samsung has shunned major acquisitions since its $8 billion purchase of car electronics maker Harman International Industries in 2017. This month, Harman agreed to buy the audio business of U.S. firm Masimo MASI.O for $350 million.

Consumer audio is a new growth engine, Samsung has said, alongside cooling and heating systems, medical and robotics.

In December, Samsung became the largest shareholder of South Korea's Rainbow Robotics 277810.KQ with the purchase of an additional 267 billion won ($189.03 million) stake.

Samsung last year formed a joint venture with Lennox LII.N in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) sector, and was among the bidders for Johnson Controls International JCI.N HVAC assets that were bought by rival Robert Bosch for $8 billion last year.

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