Samsung Electronics is a founding member and holds the chair position of the board of the HCA, an organization dedicated to the development and promotion of compatibility and energy management across home appliances, HVAC³ systems and TVs within the connected home ecosystem. The alliance has recently announced that its members will begin implementing Interface Specification 1.0.

“It is great to see HCA bring its first example of interoperability to market with global leaders in the appliance, HVAC and TV industries. It is a testament to the commitment of large device manufacturers to better serve our consumers in their homes,” said Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice President and Head of the Service Biz Group, Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Electronics. “By enabling consumers to control multiple brands of appliances and HVAC products through apps such as SmartThings, we expect the smart home market to achieve new levels of scale. Global leaders will be able to fuel enhanced digital services that provide consumers with new benefits, and Samsung is steadfast in its commitment to HCA and its vision.”

The collaboration provides a framework for C2C cross-control and will establish a strong foundation for home connectivity to provide meaningful benefits for consumers, starting with legacy device integration and expanding into energy savings in the near future. Since the C2C connectivity does not require a new hub or updates to appliances, it will be particularly beneficial for users’ existing home appliances.

Thanks to this development, users can start controlling their smart appliances, regardless of the manufacturer through their existing appliance and HVAC apps such as the SmartThings app, the one-stop app that lets them manage their homes and smart devices with ease, LG’s ThinQ and Vestel’s VeeZy. Consumers simply need to update their mobile app of choice to enable management of the smart appliances in their homes.⁴

This initiative marks the first time that Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics will support control of their respective devices using each other’s apps — a step that enhances consumers’ ease of use and shows potential for future cross-collaboration. Furthermore, along with Vestel, Samsung was the first key player in the industry to implement HCA integration. After a focus on supporting key features that consumers use most often, Interface Specification 2.0, which is expected in 2024, is set to add energy management functions and include additional product lines, such as electric vehicle (EV) chargers.

“HCA member companies are taking a thoughtful approach towards interoperability of everyday essential products already in our homes,” said Yoon Ho Choi, Home Connectivity Alliance President. “I look forward to seeing our member companies adopting the specification starting this year and HCA-enabled technology being available to more consumers in the near future. The goal is to make the appliances and HVAC systems we live with, smarter, more accessible and energy efficient throughout their life by connecting them to energy management and other services.”

To learn more about Samsung’s home appliances, visit https://www.samsung.com/us/home-appliances/.

About the Home Connectivity Alliance
The Home Connectivity Alliance was launched in 2022 by leading manufacturers in the connected home space to foster innovation and provide consumers with safe, interoperable appliances in the connected home. HCA is a member-driven organization dedicated to the development and promotion of secure interoperability and energy management across long-life appliances, HVAC systems and TVs within the connected home ecosystem.

HCA now includes 15 global brands and features member companies AEG, American Standard Heating and Air Conditioning, Arçelik, Beko, The Electrolux Group, Frigidaire, Haier, GE Appliances, Grundig, LG Electronics, Resideo Technologies, Inc., Samsung, Trane Residential and Vestel. For more information, visit www.homeconnectivityalliance.org.

¹ HCA: Home Connectivity Alliance.
² The six other countries are the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Turkey.
³ Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) is the use of various technologies to control the temperature, humidity and air purity.
⁴ Dependent on manufacturer rollout by product, geography and market. Individual experiences may vary.

The HCA is an organization founded by manufacturers of HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems, home appliances and TVs. The HCA was created with the goal to develop safe, interoperable standards for connected home ecosystems.

As a founding member of the Alliance, Samsung Electronics continues to relentlessly pursue innovation, including the industry-leading SmartThings platform, to aid the HCA’s mission to develop standards that promote interconnectivity.

“Through combined industry efforts in HCA, we are working to make the smart home more accessible to consumers via the devices they use every day in the home,” said Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice President and Head of Service Biz Group of the Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Electronics. “We are taking a fresh look at how devices can enhance consumers’ lives and how the appliance industry can work together to create a safer connected home that our customers can trust. Through energy savings and support for legacy household products, we believe that we can contribute to a world where sustainability starts at home.”

Interoperability To Promote Compatibility

The HCA Specification 1.0 expands on existing industry standards to clearly define interoperability standards that ensure long-lasting devices like appliances, HVAC systems and TVs operate seamlessly across brands, including legacy appliances already operating in consumers’ homes.

As a pioneer in the smart home industry, the SmartThings platform has paved the way for interoperability within the connected home. SmartThings supports Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled devices from a range of manufacturers, as well as first-party smart home appliances, providing consumers with more convenience and options within their connected home.

With the introduction of the HCA Specification 1.0, this enhanced interoperable experience will soon make the connected home attainable by more consumers than ever.

Bringing Sustainability Into the Heart of the Connected Home

The release of the HCA Specification 1.0 paves the way for enhanced energy efficiency throughout a consumer’s entire connected home through holistic data insights. Customers can raise their Energy IQ by identifying the appliances and devices in their homes that consume the most energy and adjusting usage accordingly.

Furthermore, innovations like SmartThings AI Energy Mode allow consumers to automatically manage their energy usage and costs using intelligent, real-time insights via a single app on their phone. The HCA Specification 1.0 enables member brands to provide consumers with sustainability-focused, actionable insights for better energy efficiency and real-world savings.

Competitors Working Together for Our Consumers’ Connected Future

The introduction of the HCA Specification 1.0 for interoperability is just the first step in the HCA’s standards journey. The HCA is already working in parallel with energy industry leaders to provide even more energy-efficient solutions across the household.

HCA currently includes 15 global brands, including Samsung, AEG, American Standards, Arcelik, Electrolux, GE Appliances, Haier, LG, Resideo, Trane, Vestel and others. Membership provides the opportunity to collaboratively innovate and share expertise with peers to further develop the connected home ecosystem and bring more convenience and options to consumers.

With almost 250 million registered users across over 108 million connected devices, Samsung is leveraging its leadership within the smart home industry and working hand in hand with fellow HCA members to develop and launch new solutions within the connected home landscape.

The HCA C2C interoperability demonstration is open to the public at CES 2023 as part of the Smart Home exhibition — Venetian Expo Center Booth #52739 — taking place from January 5 to 8 in Las Vegas. This technical demonstration features HCA member company solutions that leverage C2C connectivity to enable multiple apps to control multiple brands of appliances, HVAC systems and TVs for optimized interoperability.

About Home Connectivity Alliance

The Home Connectivity Alliance is a member-driven organization comprised of 15 global brands dedicated to the development and promotion of safe and secure interoperability and energy savings across long-life appliances, HVAC systems and TVs within the connected home ecosystem. For more information, visit www.homeconnectivityalliance.org.

Samsung Electronics today shared its vision for a calmer connected world through cutting-edge technologies that enhance the lives of users by providing smarter and more intuitive experiences. Speaking at a press conference at CES^® 2023, Samsung and its key partners came together to outline details about how they plan to build a better-connected world while contributing to a more sustainable future.

Jong-Hee (JH) Han, Vice Chairman, CEO and Head of the DX (Device eXperience) Division at Samsung Electronics, opened the company’s presence at CES by highlighting Samsung’s strategy to deliver on the promise of the connected experience across the key touchpoints in our lives — in our homes, cars and at work — while also working to build a more sustainable future. The strategy outlined during the press conference focuses on the company’s aim of bringing calm to our connected world so that devices and innovation can genuinely enable better, more personal and more intuitive experiences. To do this, Samsung is focusing on seamlessly connecting devices and designing products to make the everyday use of technology more sustainable.

▲ Jong-Hee (JH) Han, Vice Chairman, CEO and Head of the DX (Device eXperience) Division at Samsung Electronics, introduces the theme of “Bringing Calm to Our Connected World,” the aim of which is to make life easier by connecting technology seamlessly.

“We recognize our vision is a big one,” said CEO JH Han. “It’s about solving real challenges today and understanding consumers’ future needs and aspirations. It will take time, innovation and cooperation with partners worldwide. But we are committed to achieving it and already getting started.”

Samsung Incorporates Sustainability at Every Level

To address our planet’s ongoing challenges, Samsung highlighted how it continues to prioritize the environment through a combination of sustainability targets, innovative product design and strategic partnerships. As a result, by 2050, all of Samsung’s businesses will match their electricity needs with renewable energy and reach net zero carbon emissions. In the nearer term, the DX Division will transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2027 and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

▲ Inhee Chung, Vice President of Corporate Sustainability Center at Samsung Electronics, outlines the company’s new environmental strategy for everyday sustainability.

To further the company’s sustainability goals, Samsung outlined how Everyday Sustainability — building sustainability features into the company’s most popular products and services — will contribute to a healthier environment. This includes creating more sustainable products through innovative design in materials and energy efficiency.

“By building sustainability into the product experience, we, and the many people around the world who use our products, can contribute to a healthier planet,” said Inhee Chung, Vice President of Corporate Sustainability Center at Samsung. “As a result, some of our most popular products are now some of our most sustainable.”

Samsung announced that many of its TVs and smartphones use recycled materials, including recycled plastic from discarded finishing nets, while the company’s home appliances, memory and 5G radio network chipsets are contributing to energy savings for customers. In addition, Samsung’s connected services, such as SmartThings Energy and AI Energy Mode, are also helping consumers save energy and cut costs while lowering their overall climate impact.

▲ Vincent Stanley, Director of Philosophy at Patagonia, highlights the company’s collaboration with Samsung to create a new wash cycle called Less Microfiber, a groundbreaking function that reduces microplastic release by 54% during a laundry cycle.

Samsung also shared the stage with Patagonia, a global leader in outdoor clothing, to discuss a partnership to combat the issue of microplastics – the tiny particles often found in clothes and released into oceans, lakes and rivers through the laundry. Vincent Stanley, Director of Philosophy at Patagonia, spoke at the Samsung press conference about how the two companies have developed a new wash technology called the Less Microfiber Cycle,¹ currently being incorporated into Samsung washing machines, which can reduce microplastic release by 54%² during a laundry cycle. Like the Less Microfiber Cycle, Samsung and Patagonia recently developed the new Less Microfiber Filter,³ which reduces microplastic discharge by preventing them from escaping into the ocean at the end of a wash cycle.

▲ James Kwon, Product Manager, ENERGY STAR for Consumer Electronics at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), discusses Samsung’s efforts to increase energy savings throughout its products.

Meanwhile, James Kwon, Product Manager, ENERGY STAR for Consumer Electronics at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced that Samsung’s connected home experience with SmartThings is the first mass-market Smart Home Energy Management System to earn the prestigious ENERGY STAR SHEMS Certification. Samsung also continues to collaborate with diverse stakeholders in its sustainability efforts. For example, Samsung joined with the Carbon Trust and other technology leaders to develop the industry’s first specification for measuring, accounting for and decarbonizing the emissions associated with connected devices while being used by customers.

A Connected Home and Connected Life Built on Convenience

▲ Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President and Head of SmartThings, introduces Samsung’s SmartThings system that provides more efficient and intuitive personalized experiences by maximizing connected devices and home appliances.

Samsung detailed plans to fulfill the connected experience today and in the future. During the company’s press conference, Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President and Head of SmartThings, highlighted how features like SmartThings Home Monitor and SmartThings Pet Care bring convenience to the connected experience by monitoring and sharing alerts for anything out of the ordinary – for people and pets. Prompted by Samsung Smart TV, these services are some of the many ways Samsung and the connected platform SmartThings are creating an even smarter home.

▲ Alana Gomez-Solis, Corporate Communications Specialist at Samsung Electronics America, highlights how the many diverse features of SmartThings shape our daily lives.

A key part of this vision is increased interoperability, enabling consumers to connect more of their devices, whether they are Samsung’s or from a partner brand. As the industry looks to bring about a new level of compatibility through the Matter smart home standard, Samsung stated its commitment to this partnership philosophy. SmartThings was one of the first brands to adopt Matter, and Samsung is a founding member of the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA).

Also, at the CES press conference, Samsung announced the latest smart home innovation, with the SmartThings Station — its first product to have Matter support built-in right from the beginning. It is a convenient, new way to kick-start SmartThings experiences at home and make it easier to interact with connected devices. SmartThings Station turns Samsung’s wireless charger into a smart home hub that can seamlessly transform the state of your home at the touch of a button.⁴

▲ Jasper Vervoort, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Philips Hue, presents the concept for a wholistic smart home experience, made possible through a growing technological ecosystem of various partnerships.

The focus on connected experiences also extended to unveiling new partnerships, including announcing an expanded collaboration with Philips Hue. Jasper Vervoort, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Philips Hue, discussed a new way to sync the content from Samsung TVs with Philips Hue lighting through the Philips Hue Sync TV app, which can be downloaded from the app store on Samsung TVs. This is the first solution to sync lighting and content from Samsung TVs without additional hardware.

▲ Shin Baik, Principal Engineer of Security Team, Mobile eXperience Business, shares the latest advancements in security and privacy with Knox Matrix, built on Samsung’s defense-grade security platform, to underscore the company’s commitment to keeping users’ data safe and secure.

With more devices connected than ever, Samsung also detailed how security and privacy innovations will be keys to building connected device ecosystems. The company is taking its device security experiences to the next level with its upcoming solution, Samsung Knox Matrix, which will conveniently and safely sync credentials across devices while protecting sensitive information via multi-layered mutual monitoring enabled by private blockchain technology.

▲ Marcus Futterlieb of HARMAN presents revamped in-vehicle experiences, including Ready Care that make driving safer and more comfortable using the latest technologies.

The connected experience is also extending to your commute. Marcus Futterlieb from HARMAN unveiled Samsung and HARMAN’s plans to inject a new level of intelligence, personalization and convenience into the in-cabin experience (ICX). Central to this effort is HARMAN Ready Care, which uses a machine learning algorithm to gather and process data from the car’s sensors to measure driver drowsiness and distraction, providing tailored interventions to mitigate risks and help improve the well-being of the driver.

A Vision for the Future

▲ Sebastian Seung, President of Samsung Research, explains the future of SmartThings related to Spatial AI and how it will continue to enrich our interactions with technology in the future.

The company also showcased next-generation innovations and technologies using the latest artificial intelligence (AI). Experiences enabled by Spatial AI — like in the JetBot AI+ — are laying the groundwork for better in-home experiences specific to the dimensions and environment of your space.

Samsung also gave a preview of Relumino Mode, which will come to select 2023 Samsung Neo QLED 8K and 4K TVs this year to make content viewing possible for people with vision impairment. Relumino Mode highlights outlines and improves contrast and color so that content is clearer and easier to enjoy.⁵ In addition, Samsung also displayed a new pair of Relumino glasses, which first debuted at CES 2018 as part of its startup acceleration program C-Lab project, as well as its mobile app to make the visual experience more enjoyable and personalized on every screen.

For more information, please visit Samsung.com.

¹ Already available for Samsung washers in Europe and will expand availability to Korea in February and to the U.S. soon.

² Tested with 2kg load of 100% polyester hoodies, comparing Synthetics cycle on Samsung Conventional model of European washer WW4000T and the Less Microfiber cycle on WW7000B. The results may be different depending on the clothes and environment. Tested by the Ocean Wise Plastics Lab.

³ Will be available in the first half of this year in Europe.

⁴ Available with SmartThings App on Android or iOS devices. A Wi-Fi connection is required.

⁵ Relumino Mode targets those who suffer from severe visual acuity loss (Source: WHO, World report on vision, 2019) and symptoms of blurry vision. Some features may be supported at a different time, and service availability may not be available at the time of purchase of this product. Relumino Mode is applied for TV models QN80C, QN90C, QN800C, QN900C and works on sources provided through DTV and HDMI only. The Mode does not work on other sources, OTTs, etc.

Samsung Electronics today announced it will host the Samsung Developer Conference 2022 (SDC22) at the Moscone North in San Francisco on October 12. The annual conference, which will be held both in-person and virtually, will highlight Samsung’s plans to evolve the SmartThings platform and collaborate with developers and creators to build next generation connected experiences for millions around the world.

At SDC22, Samsung is expected to share updates for its software, services and platforms, including SmartThings, to enable a better, more connected world for all. The company will showcase its vision for Calm Technology, where devices connect seamlessly for a more intelligent consumer experience that takes place instantly.

Jong-Hee (JH) Han, Vice Chairman, CEO and Head of Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics, will open SDC22’s keynote address by sharing more about the company’s vision. He will be joined by other Samsung executives, who will share the company’s strategies in areas like future technologies. Other speakers include:

• Sebastian Seung, President & Head of Samsung Research
• Yongjae Kim, EVP, Deputy Head of R&D Team, Visual Display Business
• Sang Kim, SVP & Head of Product & Marketing, Samsung Electronics America
• Jaeyeon Jung, VP & Head of SmartThings, Mobile eXperience Business
• Hyesoon Jung, VP & Head of Framework R&D Group, Mobile eXperience Business
• Mark Benson, Head of SmartThings
• Anil Yadav, Head of Bixby Lab, Samsung Research America

Beyond the keynote address, SDC22 will feature breakout sessions open to both in-person and virtual participants. These breakout sessions provide opportunities to collaborate and learn more about Samsung’s latest developer-focused platforms and tools, including Bixby, One UI 5, SmartThings and Matter, Samsung Wallet, Tizen and more, along with opportunities to explore partner ecosystems.

The onsite event will feature hands-on experiences in Samsung’s Tech Square, including opportunities to explore new SmartThings scenarios and Samsung’s latest innovations. The event will also feature networking opportunities and various onsite activities.

SDC22 will host additional activations for those joining online, including the Code Lab, where developers can collaborate and sharpen their coding skills.

For more information about the Samsung Developer Conference 2022, please visit http://developer.samsung.com/sdc. Further information can also be found on Twitter (@samsung_dev) and Facebook (@samsungdev) with the hashtag #SDC22.

The common goal of HCA — an organization founded by large appliance manufacturers of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), home appliances and TVs that include Arçelik A.Ş., The Electrolux Group, Haier, GE Appliances, Samsung Electronics, Trane Technologies and others — is to provide safe, secure and interoperable products that use innovatively connected features and services to ensure users enjoy a holistic experience of their home appliance ecosystems.

As one of the founding members of the HCA and a Board Chair of the Alliance, Samsung takes its leadership position within the project seriously. Yoon Ho Choi of Product Planning at IoT Biz Group, Samsung Electronics, is currently serving as the HCA President and Board Chair. Proud of its status as a founding HCA member, Samsung has endeavored since the beginning of the partnership to utilize SmartThings — its dynamic appliance and device integration system — in helping to achieve the Alliance’s ambitions for interconnectivity in the home.

“We are especially happy to see the speed of progress within the HCA. Within just nine months of launch, the HCA has been able to provide a live demo of the Cloud-to-Cloud interoperability of appliances, TVs and HVAC systems across member brands,” said Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice President and Head of IoT Biz Group at the Digital Appliances Business of Samsung Electronics. “This is a truly unique and momentous accomplishment that could only be accomplished through dedication and close collaboration between manufacturers that know and understand the connected home ecosystem.”

SmartThings: A Central Component of the HCA Mission for Samsung

SmartThings turns the home into an interconnected ecosystem. It is a system that continues to help Samsung technologies, third-party apps and devices from other HCA members work in harmony for a holistic experience of the home. During this year’s IFA, HCA will host a demonstration attended by HCA-participating companies from September 2^nd to 5^th, that will display how home appliances from multiple companies can be controlled with one system. These devices include Samsung Electronics’ Bespoke Cube Air Purifier, Bespoke Jet Bot AI+, Bespoke Refrigerator and Neo QLED, all of which are applied to SmartThings with HCA Standard.

With the SmartThings app, users can control more than 40 functions in 15 product categories from 13 brands including Samsung Electronics. Conversely, smart home apps from 13 brands can also control various Samsung products. For example, even if the oven, induction and hood in the kitchen are of different brands, it is possible to cook and control it with a single SmartThings app. The 15 product groups consist of air conditioners, air purifiers, Eco Heating System, dishwashers, dryers, freezers, hoods, inductions, ovens, refrigerators, robot vacuum cleaners, TVs, washing machines and more.

Considering the expandability of the existing SmartThings system, it is possible to build a convenient smart home environment by connecting an additional 300 brands of third-party devices, along with the products from the 13 HCA brands to SmartThings.

Updates That Keep the Legacy Devices Working

SmartThings and HCA plan to bring the new interoperable features to global markets within the first half of 2023. In addition, models equipped with Wi-Fi among existing home appliances of HCA member companies can be controlled with a single app, regardless of the brand, through a software update on the app. This is especially important considering the long lifecycles of these large appliances that are part of the home infrastructure. SmartThings updates are simple, easy to access and happen regularly to ensure the latest security and feature updates are accessible to global users.

An Alliance for a Better Future

With more than 235 million registered users globally across over 105 million connected devices, SmartThings continues to lead the smart home field. Samsung — along with its fellow HCA members — is helping to realize the vision to innovate and develop new consumer solutions in the IoT landscape by leveraging the power of the SmartThings platform. The company is committed to continuing to refine its own technologies while also ensuring interoperability is possible across the appliances and devices from other HCA members.

Samsung Electronics today unveiled its vision for the future, “Together for tomorrow”, during a pre-show keynote event at CES 2022. Keynote speaker Jong-Hee (JH) Han, Vice Chairman, CEO and Head of DX (Device eXperience) Division at Samsung, highlighted the company’s efforts to usher in a new age of togetherness, with customizable experiences that reflect consumers’ evolving lifestyles, and innovations that mark progress for both society and the planet.

The company’s “Together for tomorrow” vision is one that empowers everyone to create positive change and drives collaborations that address some of the planet’s most pressing challenges. The keynote illustrated how Samsung plans to make its vision a reality by introducing a range of sustainability initiatives, purposeful partnerships, and customizable and connected technologies.

“I’m excited for you to be a part of our vision to see how innovation can create positive change, [and] to join us and work together for tomorrow,” said Han. ”These developments will make sustainability part of your product experience, enabling you to live a more sustainable life.”

Building a Sustainable Future

At its core, Samsung’s vision for the future is built on what the company calls “everyday sustainability.” It is a concept that inspires Samsung to put sustainability at the heart of everything it does. The company has been realizing its vision by adopting new, low-impact product manufacturing practices, footprint-reducing packaging and a more sustainable customer experience, and by responsibly disposing of products at the end of their lifecycles.

Samsung’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions throughout the production cycle have also earned recognition from the Carbon Trust, the world’s leading authority on carbon footprint. Last year, the company’s Carbon Trust-certified memory chips helped reduce carbon emissions by nearly 700,000 tons.

Samsung’s efforts in this area extend well beyond semiconductors and include expanding the use of recycled materials. To introduce everyday sustainability to more products, Samsung’s Visual Display Business plans to use 30 times more recycled plastics than it did in 2021. The company also revealed plans to expand its use of recycled materials to include all mobile products and home appliances over the next three years.

In 2021, all of Samsung’s TV boxes included recycled materials. For this year, the company revealed that it will be expanding the use of recycled materials to include the boxes’ interior packaging as well. Now, recycled materials will be incorporated into Styrofoam, box holders and plastic bags. The company also announced the global expansion of its award-winning Eco-Packaging program. The expansion of the program, which transforms cardboard boxes into cat houses, side tables and other useful furniture items, will include packaging for home appliances such as vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, air purifiers and more.

Samsung is also building sustainability into the ways that customers experience its products. Such experiences will be integral to empowering people to reduce their carbon footprint and make positive changes together for a better tomorrow. As an example, the company introduced notable enhancements to its first-of-its-kind SolarCell Remote, which eliminates battery waste with a built-in solar panel that can be charged during both day and night.

The enhanced SolarCell Remote gets electricity from radio frequencies in devices like Wi-Fi routers.¹ “What’s more, it will be included in more Samsung products – like new Samsung TVs and home appliances – with the goal of eliminating more than 200 million batteries from landfills.² When you line them up, it is the distance from right here, Las Vegas, to Korea,” said Han.

In addition, by 2025, Samsung plans to make all of its TVs and phone chargers operate on near-zero standby power, so that the products will consume almost no energy when not being used.

E-waste is another big challenge for the electronics industry, which is why Samsung has collected more than five million tons of e-waste since 2009. For mobile products, last year, Samsung launched Galaxy for the Planet, a sustainability platform that was created to bring about tangible climate action and minimize devices’ environmental footprints throughout their lifecycles.

“These are important steps,” said Han, “but we cannot achieve our goals alone. We believe open innovation and collaboration are keys to fighting climate change and protecting our environment.” With this in mind, Samsung announced that its eco-conscious technologies like the SolarCell Remote will be made open source, so that others can utilize them for their new devices too.

Samsung’s decision to make such technologies openly available reflects a commitment to innovation – and to everyday sustainability – that transcends industries. The collaboration with Patagonia that Samsung announced at the keynote demonstrates the type of innovation that can result when companies – even those from entirely different industries – come together to address environmental issues. The innovative solution that the companies are designing will help fight plastic pollution by enabling Samsung washing machines to minimize microplastics from entering waterways through laundry cycles.

“This is a serious problem, and not one we can solve on our own,” said Vincent Stanley, Director of Philosophy at Patagonia. Commending the hard work and dedication of Samsung engineers, Stanley described the working relationship as “a perfect example of the kind of collaboration we all need to help turn the tide of climate change and restore nature to health.”

“We are thrilled about this collaboration, but our work won’t stop there,” added Han. “We will continue to explore new partnerships and collaborations, aiming to address the challenges facing our planet.”

Empowering Users With Customized Experiences 

In addition to describing steps it is taking to advance everyday sustainability, Samsung outlined various ways it is advancing technology to cater to consumers’ diverse needs. Understanding that each person is unique and wants to customize their devices to suit their lifestyle, Samsung strives to find ways to help people redefine their relationships with everyday technologies. This people-first approach to innovation is a key pillar of the company’s “Together for tomorrow” vision.

The platforms and screens that Samsung unveiled at the event reflect the ‘Screens Everywhere, Screens for All’ era that Han alluded to at CES 2020. The Freestyle is a lightweight and portable screen that gives you a cinema-quality experience no matter where you are. Featuring AI-enabled sound, built-in streaming apps and a host of useful Smart TV accessibility features, The Freestyle can be set up virtually anywhere and projects up to 100 inches.

The Samsung Gaming Hub, meanwhile, offers an all-in-one platform for discovering and playing cloud and console games, and is set to launch on the company’s 2022 Smart TVs and monitors. Lastly, The Odyssey Ark is a 55-inch, flexible and curved gaming screen that takes immersion to the next level with a multi-view experience that allows users to play games, video chat with friends and watch gaming videos at the same time.

To introduce more tailored product experiences to consumers’ homes, Samsung announced the rollout of even more customization options for its Bespoke lineup of home appliances. This includes new Bespoke options for Samsung’s Family Hub and French 3-Door and 4-Door refrigerators, alongside dishwashers, ranges and over-the-range microwaves. Samsung is also introducing new products like the Bespoke Jet vacuum and Bespoke Washer and Dryer, expanding the lineup to every room in the home to offer consumers more ways to customize their space to suit their style and needs.

Samsung is constantly exploring ways to harness customization to help users get more out of their devices. The #YouMake Project represents the culmination of those efforts empowering consumers to choose and customize products based on what matters most to them, so they can enjoy a more personalized experience across their devices. Announced at the keynote, the initiative expands Samsung’s Bespoke vision beyond home appliances and brings it to life in the company’s smartphones and large-screen devices.

Ushering in an Era of Seamless Connectivity

Building a better future together for tomorrow requires more than building customization and sustainability into the core of Samsung’s products – it also requires seamless connectivity. During the keynote, Samsung demonstrated its commitment to ushering in an era of truly seamless connected experiences by highlighting its collaborations with partners as well as its next-gen products.

Unveiled for the first time at CES, the all-new Samsung Home Hub takes connected home experiences to the next level with a SmartThings service that integrates with AI-connected appliances to simplify home management. Samsung Home Hub combines six SmartThings services into one convenient device that gives users complete control over their smart home and makes it easier to manage household chores.

To enable different types of smart devices to work better with each other, Samsung announced plans to make SmartThings Hub a built-in feature of its 2022 TVs, Smart Monitors and Family Hub refrigerators. Doing so will help make connected living experiences more accessible and seamless for everyone.

Pointing to the need to offer consumers the best smart home experience regardless of brand, Samsung also announced its role as a founding member of the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA), which brings together various smart home appliance manufacturers. The organization aims to foster greater interoperability between devices across brands to give consumers more choice, and to enhance the security and safety of products and services.

“As a global coalition of smart home appliance manufacturers, HCA members share a belief that connected ecosystems and digital technology will allow us to further develop product experiences that are elegant, hyper-personalized and truly smart for our consumers,” said Katherine Shin, Vice President of Customer Experience at Trane Technologies. “The HCA invites any global manufacturers with a similar vision for efficiency, interoperability and innovation to come and build with us.”

Samsung’s keynote underlined a deep commitment to corporate social responsibility that continues to characterize its approach to innovation. That commitment is not only realized in the company’s technologies, but also in its dedication towards programs that empower the next generation to bring about the changes they want to see in the world. By nurturing young people’s development and building skills for the workplaces of tomorrow, programs like Solve for Tomorrow and Samsung Innovation Campus are turning dreams into action.

“Today, I’m honored to share that Samsung’s programs to empower the next generation have now reached more than 21 million people since 2012,” said Han. “This is the better tomorrow we all seek: enabling people to reach beyond their dreams, a planet protected so others can experience its wonders, [and] innovation as the spark for change.”

For more information, including images and videos of the products Samsung is announcing at CES 2022, please visit news.samsung.com/global/ces-2022.

¹ For radio frequency harvesting, a physical proximity of SolarCell Remote to a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi router is required.

² Estimate is based on expected sales volume and average usage period of related products.

Samsung Electronics is a founding member of the HCA along with Arçelik, The Electrolux Group, Haier, GE Appliances and Trane Technologies. The alliance brings together leading manufacturers of connected devices to enhance the compatibility of smart appliances across brands.

As part of the alliance, Samsung will work with other member companies to develop shared guidelines for cloud-to-cloud interoperability, accounting for data security and consumer safety requirements.

For Samsung users, this means the ability to operate and control appliances from other brands through its smart home platform SmartThings, making it simpler for consumers to integrate legacy and new devices into their connected homes. Alternatively, consumers will be able to access Samsung devices from other HCA member applications.

“We are pleased to have Samsung as one of the founding members of the Home Connectivity Alliance,” said Yoon Ho Choi, President of Home Connectivity Alliance. “It is the support of global manufacturers like Samsung that makes HCA uniquely qualified to establish interoperability guidelines for long-life appliances and systems in the home, ultimately delivering safe, simple and elegant consumer experiences.”

“As digital technology becomes more embedded in everyday life, we at Samsung believe that it’s essential to bring greater openness to our smart home ecosystem and empower consumers with more options to create truly personalized home experiences,” said Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice President and Head of IoT Business Group at Samsung Electronics. “We are excited to work with other members of the HCA and will work to make home lifestyles easier and smarter with meaningful innovations in smart appliances and connectivity.”

Building on the partnerships fostered through the HCA, SmartThings will continue to deliver innovations that push the boundaries of smart devices, enabling more consumers to enjoy the benefits of connected living. From smart kitchen features to automated home cleaning and clothing care, SmartThings’ open platform brings together a wide range of cutting-edge devices and services to offer a holistic smart home experience.

Simplifying everyday life through digital technology is at the heart of Samsung’s smart home innovations. The company is committed to working with other members of the HCA to drive the future of smart home technology and deliver meaningful innovations to users.

For more information about the Samsung smart home ecosystem and SmartThings, please visit Samsung.com.

For more information about Home Connectivity Alliance, please visit https://homeconnectivityalliance.org/.