Samsung is working on creating chips with dedicated processor cores for powering artificial intelligence (AI) tech, with the South Korean electronics giant reportedly looking at having them ready for use in a few years.
Industry sources familiar with Samsung’s chip plans tipped-off The Korea Herald about the R&D work Samsung has started, noting it’s the company’s goal to have the chips handle the data crunching and processing needed to power AI systems and apps on a device rather than relying on a internet connection to an external server or cloud platform.
“[Samsung] is in the middle of developing several types of chips that will be capable of processing massive data from AI applications on devices, eliminating the need to communicate with cloud servers,” a source from one of Samsung’s partners told The Korea Herald.
As the current leading chip maker, having recently overtaken Intel, Samsung will want to make the AI capabilities of its next-generation chips widely available for use in all manner of devices and systems once it commercialises them.
But we can also expect to see future Galaxy smartphones and tablets, alongside Samsung’s TVs and smart home tech to also sport dedicated AI processor cores as the company has been keen to push the abilities of its Bixby virtual assistant, which makes use of machine learning and AI techniques.
Given the amount of data various connected device we have in our homes suck up from everyday use, having dedicated AI processing in them could not only make them smart and more useful, but also help accelerate the overall development of AI.
“In the next three years or so, smartphones will have designated chips that will improve the processing of AI features by 50 percent from today,” the industry source explained. “A kind of an accelerator can be applied to empower AI devices.”
Such developments could mean a boost in the abilities of Alexa in the Amazon Echo and a much smarter Google Assistant running in more than just the latest Android smartphones and the Google Home.
But Samsung is not alone in delving into AI-powering chips; Microsoft’s next-generation HoloLens mixed reality headset is going to have a separate co-processor designed for running AI and machine learning code within the headset itself.
Related: What is Bixby? A complete guide to Samsung’s smart AI assistant
Do you want smarter devices or is the development of AI getting a little too much like the rise of the machines? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter or Facebook.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
