Samsung Delivers Vision for Open and Intelligent IoT Experiences to Simplify Everyday Life

$14 billion spent on R&D in 2017 fuels IoT innovation; united SmartThings app will launch in Spring 2018; all Samsung connected devices will be infused with intelligence by 2020

Mississauga, ON – January 9, 2018 – Samsung Electronics Canada today at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) outlined its vision and strategy for intelligent Internet of Things (IoT) experiences.

During today’s press conference, Samsung demonstrated its unique ability to deliver simplified, seamless connected consumer experiences across Samsung devices at home, at the office and on-the-go. Samsung has been working to make all Samsung products IoT ready by 2020. In addition, the company announced today its plan to advance IoT adoption via an open, consistent and intelligent platform.

“At Samsung, we believe IoT should be as easy as flipping a switch. With the new products and services announced today, we’re making IoT easy and seamless,” said Hyunsuk (HS) Kim, President, Head of Samsung’s Consumer Electronics Division and Samsung Research. “We’re committed to accelerating IoT adoption for everyone and making all Samsung connected devices intelligent by 2020. These advancements will help consumers realize the benefits of a seamless and simple connected life.”

Intelligence of Things for Everyone

The Samsung IoT philosophy is built on the concept of open innovation, making it accessible to more people and when infused with intelligence, enabling consumers to personalize their experience. Today’s fragmented and complex IoT ecosystem is a barrier to adoption. For IoT to be approachable and accessible, it requires scale and open innovation. Thanks to a robust portfolio of Samsung products including TVs, appliances and smartphones, and 5G connectivity leadership, Samsung is well-positioned to deliver an open IoT ecosystem via SmartThings.

Samsung is working with partners such as the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) to set common industry standards. OCF is the largest IoT standardization body in the world and Samsung’s ARTIK chip, air conditioner and Family Hub refrigerator have already been certified by the association for interoperability criteria needed for IoT.

In spring 2018, Samsung will unite its IoT applications, including Samsung Connect, Smart Home, Smart View and more into the SmartThings app to connect and control any SmartThings-enabled device directly from their phone, TV, or car from a single application. Additionally, Samsung announced plans to connect HARMAN Ignite to the SmartThings Cloud, moving the IoT experience beyond the smart home to the car.

An integral part of Samsung’s vision is to connect devices and make them intelligent. With Bixby, Samsung is bringing its personalized intelligence service to more devices. In 2018, select Samsung Smart TVs and new Family Hub refrigerators will have voice control via Bixby to simplify everyday tasks. With devices and services working together and infused with intelligence, in-home activities become easier.

Because increased connectivity requires improved security, Samsung announced that it has incorporated its trusted Samsung Knox technology into its connected devices, including Smart TVs and Smart Signage, additional mobile products and Smart appliances. Knox technology includes a hardware security system and firmware updates to help ensure devices are protected.

Building the Connected Future

Samsung highlighted its ongoing commitment to investing in breakthrough technologies. In 2017, Samsung spent more than $14 billion on R&D. The company also increased investments through Samsung NEXT – a key initiative to accelerate its transformation into an integrated hardware and software company.

Samsung also created a new AI Center as part of its newly consolidated Samsung Research unit. The AI Center, which includes four labs in Toronto, Montreal, Cambridge (UK) and Russia in 2018, will be coupled with Samsung’s ongoing work in Korea and in Silicon Valley and the company’s M&A activities to drive its AI ambitions forward.

Seamless Device Experiences

New products and services announced at CES 2018 highlight exactly how Samsung is making progress to create seamless IoT experiences.

• Home:Starting this year, Samsung Smart TVs will create a connected fabric between devices to provide effortless log-in for users from the moment the TV is unboxed. The new Family Hub refrigerators offer a wide range of smart features like syncing food storage with meal preparation, and keeping family members better connected and organized. Samsung Smart TVs and Family Hub refrigerators featuring Bixby, give Samsung TVs greater access to applications, the ability to easily search movies by genre and actors and display personal photos and provide the Family Hub refrigerators with the ability to recognize individual voices of family members and give personalized information such as news, weather and calendar updates. Samsung Smart TVs and Family Hub refrigerators will also operate on a single connected cloud platform, the SmartThings Cloud, serving as a smart dashboard to monitor and control connected devices.

• Office:Samsung is redefining the concept of the traditional office with flexible solutions that fit the needs of the modern mobile workforce. The 55-inch Samsung Flip interactive digital flip chart simplifies office collaboration by connecting seamlessly with group members’ smartphones and notebooks for faster content and idea sharing. Up to four different participants can introduce content or annotate directly on screen at the same time using either their fingers or an embedded pen.

• Mobility:Samsung is helping to lead the transition to 5G networks that will usher in a new set of connected experiences. Samsung is partnering with wireless carriers and broadband providers to conduct the first customer trials of 5G connectivity with up to 100 times faster speeds than the 4G LTE available on phones today. With 5G connectivity, Samsung demonstrated its vision for more comfortable driving experiences. The Samsung Digital Cockpit shows how cars will become seamlessly connected with other ‘things’ as part of IoT. The new dashboard design, along with Bixby, allow drivers to easily control the in-car experience and connected devices at home through voice, touch, gesture and context-based triggers. Passengers can also enjoy ultra-fast streaming movies on the go. The industry-first 5G-capable Telematics Control Unit (TCU) can download and upload data faster and enables vehicle-to-everything communications, laying the groundwork for better autonomous driving.