Samsung Announces Ambitious AI Strategy to Reach 800 Million Devices
Samsung Electronics has unveiled its most comprehensive artificial intelligence strategy to date, positioning AI as the central philosophy underpinning its entire product ecosystem. At CES 2026, the South Korean tech giant presented its "Companion to AI Living" concept, demonstrating seamless integration across mobile devices, displays, and home appliances through its SmartThings platform.
The company's ambitious timeline targets 800 million mobile devices equipped with Galaxy AI by the end of 2026, doubling from 400 million in the previous year. This expansion extends beyond smartphones to encompass tablets, televisions, and home appliances powered by Google's Gemini and Samsung's Bixby platforms.
"The goal is to quickly introduce AI into all products, features and services," declared TM Roh, Samsung's co-CEO and head of the Device Experience Division. "Although AI technology may seem a bit hesitant right now, within six months to a year it will become more widespread."
Revolutionary Display Technology Sets New Standards
Samsung's display innovations centre on the world's first 130-inch Micro RGB television, featuring independently controlled microscopic red, green, and blue LEDs engineered to reproduce the full BT.2020 wide colour gamut. The massive screen is powered by Samsung's Micro RGB AI Engine Pro, which optimises picture quality scene by scene.
The introduction of Vision AI Companion represents a significant leap forward in user interaction. This software platform offers voice-based interaction and personalised recommendations across Samsung's entire 2026 television lineup, including Micro LED, OLED, Neo QLED, and UHD models. The platform leverages collaborations with Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity to provide contextual responses, moving beyond simple commands to sophisticated conversational interfaces.
Samsung's commitment extends to long-term support, with seven years of Tizen OS software updates guaranteed for 2026 televisions. The company has also embraced the open-source HDR10+ Advanced format, signalling its dedication to industry standardisation.
By The Numbers
- 800 million mobile devices targeted for Galaxy AI integration by end-2026
- 430 million users currently served by Samsung's SmartThings platform
- 35% brightness improvement in the flagship S95H OLED compared to its predecessor
- Seven years of guaranteed Tizen OS software updates for 2026 television models
- 130-inch display size achieved with Micro RGB technology
Smart Home Appliances Gain Advanced AI Capabilities
The upgraded Family Hub refrigerator represents Samsung's most significant home appliance innovation, featuring AI Vision integrated with Google Gemini. This marks the first integration of this advanced AI model into kitchen appliances, dramatically expanding food recognition capabilities beyond basic items to processed foods and contents stored in personal containers.
Samsung's broader smart home strategy includes the updated Bespoke AI Laundry Combo and the Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam Ultra robot vacuum. The vacuum, powered by a Qualcomm processor, offers advanced features including liquid detection and comprehensive home monitoring capabilities.
The company's health initiatives focus on integrating data from smartphones, wearables, and home devices for proactive healthcare. Plans include early dementia detection through analysis of walking speed and finger movements, with connections to healthcare providers via platforms such as Xealth. All health data remains protected by Samsung Knox and Knox Matrix security frameworks, which continuously upgrade to address AI-related security risks.
| Product Category | AI Integration Timeline | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile Devices | 2026 | Galaxy AI across 800 million devices |
| Television & Displays | 2026 | Vision AI Companion, Micro RGB technology |
| Home Appliances | 2026 | Google Gemini integration, advanced food recognition |
| Manufacturing | 2030 | AI-Driven Factories with agentic AI and digital twins |
Semiconductor Strategy Reinforces AI Leadership
Samsung's semiconductor division plays a crucial role in the company's AI ambitions. Jun Young-hyun, vice chairman and co-CEO overseeing the Device Solutions division, highlighted progress in next-generation high-bandwidth memory chips, with customers praising the company's HBM4 technology and noting that "Samsung is back."
Reports indicate Samsung is in close discussions to supply HBM4 chips to Nvidia, positioning the company to compete more effectively with rivals like SK Hynix in the competitive AI chip market. This strategic focus on advanced semiconductors addresses the increasing computational demands of generative AI models.
The company's manufacturing strategy extends to its global operations, with plans to transform all facilities into AI-Driven Factories by 2030. This initiative targets Samsung's extensive Asia-Pacific manufacturing network, including sites in South Korea, Vietnam, and India, using agentic AI for logistics, quality control, and safety optimisation.
"Building a more unified, more personal experience across mobile, visual display, home appliances and services," emphasised TM Roh. "Samsung's connected ecosystem is uniquely positioned to deliver more meaningful everyday AI experiences."
Samsung's comprehensive approach positions it well alongside other major developments in the AI device market, as explored in our analysis of how AI devices are set to edge out smartphones in 2026. The company's partnership with Microsoft Copilot also enables users to set up advanced AI assistance on Galaxy devices, whilst the broader Galaxy S26 series introduces agentic AI capabilities to smartphones.
How will Samsung's AI integration affect device performance?
Samsung's AI integration optimises device performance through scene-by-scene picture enhancement, personalised recommendations, and proactive system management. The company's Knox security framework ensures AI features operate safely whilst maintaining user privacy and data protection.
When will older Samsung devices receive AI features?
Samsung has committed to extending AI capabilities to existing devices through software updates. The rollout timeline varies by device model and region, with priority given to flagship smartphones and recent television models first.
What makes Samsung's AI approach different from competitors?
Samsung's strategy focuses on ecosystem integration across all device categories, from smartphones to home appliances. This unified approach, powered by SmartThings platform, enables cross-device AI experiences that competitors typically cannot match comprehensively.
How secure is Samsung's AI data collection?
All AI-related data processing occurs within Samsung's Knox and Knox Matrix security frameworks. These systems undergo continuous upgrades to address emerging AI security threats, with health and personal data receiving additional protection layers.
Will Samsung's AI features work offline?
Many core AI functions operate locally on Samsung devices using on-device processing capabilities. However, advanced features like Vision AI Companion and Gemini integration require internet connectivity for optimal performance and real-time updates.
Samsung's vision for 2026 clearly establishes AI as the unifying force across its diverse product portfolio, from cutting-edge displays to smart home solutions and the foundational semiconductor technology that powers them. The company's integrated approach positions it uniquely in a market where fragmented AI experiences often frustrate users seeking seamless interaction across devices.
What aspects of Samsung's "Companion to AI Living" vision excite or concern you most? Drop your take in the comments below.
Latest Comments (4)
The promise of Vision AI Companion integrating with Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity is interesting, but my concern, as always, is about the digital divide. How will these "meaningful everyday AI experiences" translate for communities in regions with limited or unreliable internet access? Will these advancements only deepen existing inequalities?
The integration of Perplexity with Vision AI Companion for more nuanced queries is interesting. It implies a move towards more advanced reasoning capabilities, similar to what we are exploring in some multimodal benchmarks at RIKEN.
The "Companion to AI Living" concept sounds ambitious. With Samsung's SmartThings platform already reaching 430 million users, how are they addressing data privacy and algorithmic bias, especially considering the diverse global user base that will be contributing to and impacted by these "meaningful everyday AI experiences"?
The Vision AI Companion for their TVs sounds pretty similar to what we're aiming for in personalized learning paths. Using contextual responses to user queries, moving beyond simple commands - that's exactly the kind of nuanced interaction we're trying to build into our LLM tutors. Good to see established players like Samsung validating that direction.
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