▲ The ISUOG World Congress will be held in Seoul, Korea from October 16 to 19

Samsung Medison, a global medical equipment company and an affiliate of Samsung Electronics, will be showcasing its AI-based diagnostic solutions at ISUOG (International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology) World Congress 2023 held in Seoul, South Korea from October 16 to 19.

As one of the most important academic societies in the field of obstetric and gynecologic ultrasound, ISUOG organizes annual congresses worldwide to share the latest technology and research findings. This year’s event, held for the first time in Seoul, will be attended by nearly 2,000 obstetricians and gynecologists from 126 countries.

Samsung Medison, a main sponsor of the event, will showcase Samsung’s AI diagnostic technology through the display of its premium ultrasound systems “HERA W10 Elite” and “V8,” diagnostic solution demonstrations and a symposium.

▲ Samsung Medison’s HERA W10 Elite(left) and V8 will be exhibited at ISUOG 2023

HERA W10 Elite is a premium ultrasound system equipped with a 27-inch OLED monitor, which exhibits less brightness variation across viewing angles than conventional LCD monitors. Its probe delivers superior resolution, allowing users to view high-contrast ultrasound images from various angles without compromising image quality.

At the conference, Samsung Medison will showcase AI-based diagnostic assistant solutions, including HeartAssist, which categorizes and provides measurement results for fetal heart diagnosis with a simple press of a button; and UterineAssist, which automatically measures the size and shape of the uterus helping to accurately examine and diagnose the uterus.

In addition, Samsung Medison will present AI-automated measurement functions such as BiometryAssist and ViewAssist, which measure and automatically annotate fetal growth indicators by extending the items previously measured only in the 2nd trimester (14-27 weeks) to the 1st trimester (1-13 weeks) in accordance with the newly revised ISUOG guidelines in February 2023.

“Using the BiometryAssist feature, fetal weight can be measured with professional accuracy up to 48 hours before delivery, and the measurement time can be dramatically reduced,” said Professor Mar Gil of Torrejón University Hospital, Spain, in an abstract of the study available for publication at the conference.

At the conference, Samsung Medison will also introduce an upgraded version of “5D CNS (Central Nervous System)+,” a convenient feature for fetal brain examination.

A positive reception is anticipated at the conference due to its automatic provision of nine essential cross-sections of the fetal brain, including the coronal and sagittal planes and six measurements necessary for diagnosis – head circumference and diameter, with high accuracy.

Other features such as SonoSync, which specializes in remote consulting and training, and S-Hub, an IT solution for hospital resource management, will be on display to medical professionals from around the world.

Samsung Medison will hold symposia on “Obstetrics” and “Gynecology” on October 17 and 18, respectively, to present research findings on the clinical utility of features that help diagnose the heart and brain of a fetus and endometriosis.

During the “Fetal Therapy and Telesonography” session in the “Obstetrics” symposium, Dr. Ruben Quintero from The Fetal Institute in the United States will present a case where SonoSync, a real-time ultrasound image-sharing solution with remote control ability, saved the life of a mother and her newborn in a case of misdiagnosed fetal distress.

In the “Gynecology” symposium, Professor Tom Bourne from Imperial College, U.K., will present his research on ovarian tumors using CrystalVue and MV-Flow features.

“Samsung is continuously developing AI technologies that improve diagnostic efficiency so that doctors can focus more on patient care,” said Jinyong Lee, Head of the AI Vision Group at Samsung Medison. “We are continually striving to develop technologies that can be utilized in the field of obstetrics and gynecology to contribute to improving maternal and fetal health.”

The conference, which is held for the first time in South Korea, is also the first offline event since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Samsung Medison is participating as the main sponsor and engaging in various academic activities, including the Samsung-ISUOG webinars and the Pre-Congress.

▲ ISUOG Industry Webinar schedule

For more information on Samsung’s Healthcare division, its subsidiaries and products please visit www.samsunghealthcare.com.

Screens everywhere are getting bigger and bigger. No reason that it shouldn’t be the same for smartphones. Bigger is better, bigger is bolder! Level up your cinematic viewing experience with the large, immersive screen of the latest Galaxy Z Fold5. Relax to a more comfortable viewing experience by unfolding to a massive 7.6”[1] Main Screen.

With Dynamic AMOLED display, the vivid, stunning visuals will play tricks with your eyes and make you feel like you’re right in the movie or game. The enhanced outdoor brightness at HBM 1200 nits is 20% higher compared to the previous model. Go on a longer movie marathon with enhanced video playback of up to 20 hours, so that you can enjoy non-stop entertainment, even when you’re out all day.

Want to see a neat trick? Fold screen halfway to go into the advanced Flex Mode and your Galaxy Z Fold5 will turn into a mini laptop, where you can watch, comment on, and control content, all at the same time. The media will play on the top half of the screen, while the bottom shows you the touchpad with mini media controls, so that you can easily view content information, or rewind and forward it by 10 seconds.

The versatile panel also gives you an adjustable Toolbar, where you can use commands like Split Window, Quick Panel, Screenshot, Brightness, Volume, and Settings. The Toolbar supports multi-finger gestures as a shortcut your commands. Use 1 finger to move and tap, 2 fingers to scroll and rag, 3 fingers to go back, and 4 fingers to show the apps screen. On Flex Mode, you can also turn on mouse pointer, just like a real laptop.

Pre-order Galaxy Z Fold5 | Galaxy Z Flip5 now to enjoy these offers

We know you can’t wait to own the latest Galaxy innovations, so get ready to pre-order them all from now until 17 August 2023. Get your hands on the Galaxy Z Fold5 from RM6,799, Galaxy Z Flip5 from RM4,499. Don’t forget to also redeem your e-voucher of up to RM400 that you received when you registered your interest.

To pre-order the latest Galaxy devices, go to:

• Galaxy Z Fold5: https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-z-fold5/buy/
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[1] Measured diagonally, Galaxy Z Fold5’s Main Screen size is 7.6-inch in the full rectangle and 7.4-inch accounting for the rounded corners; actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners.

[2] All storage updates are capped at RM500.

[3] 20% off PWP for selected Galaxy Z Series accessories, 10% off PWP for Galaxy Tab S8 Series, 40% off Samsung Care+, and 20% off PWP for selected Galaxy Watch and Buds.

[4] Selected devices only. The promotion is valid while stocks last. Colour availability may vary by country, region, or carrier. Visit samsung.com/my for more details. Terms and conditions apply.

[5] Any device condition is accepted.

The Company posted KRW 70.46 trillion in consolidated revenue and KRW 4.31 trillion in operating profit in the quarter ended December 31, 2022. For the full year, it reported 302.23 trillion in annual revenue, a record high and KRW 43.38 trillion in operating profit.

The business environment deteriorated significantly in the fourth quarter due to weak demand amid a global economic slowdown. Earnings at the Memory Business decreased sharply as prices fell and customers continued to adjust inventory. The System LSI Business also saw a decline in earnings as sales of key products were weighed down by inventory adjustments in the industry. The Foundry Business posted a new record for quarterly revenue while profit increased year-on-year on the back of advanced node capacity expansion as well as customer base and application area diversification.

Samsung Display Corporation (SDC) saw earnings in the mobile panel business decline as smartphone demand fell while the large panel business narrowed its losses as sales of QD-OLED for TVs increased and as the business’s LCD inventory was fully depleted.

Revenue and profit at the Mobile eXperience (MX) Business declined amid weak demand in the mid- to low-end segments while the Networks Business posted an increase in revenue led by domestic demand for 5G installations and expansion in overseas businesses.

The Visual Display Business posted higher revenue and operating profit as sales of premium products, including Neo QLED and Super Big TVs, increased, while the Digital Appliances Business saw a profit decline because of cost increase due to deteriorated market conditions and as competition intensified.

The strength in the US dollar against the Korean won resulted in a positive impact of approximately KRW 0.5 trillion company-wide on operating profit compared to the previous quarter.

The recent change in Korean tax law which revised taxation on dividends received from subsidiaries led to a decline in the Company’s corporate tax in the fourth quarter.

The one-time item due to the tax law change was reflected in the quarter’s financial statements and does not mean the Company received a corporate tax refund, nor is it related to the Company’s actual tax payment.

In the first quarter, the semiconductor business will focus on actively addressing the demand for high-end products, such as DDR5, LPDDR5x and 200 megapixel (MP) image sensors, amid a weak memory market and soft global IT demand. SDC plans to meet the demand for major customers’ new products.

The Company plans to expand its leadership in the premium smartphone segment with the launch of Galaxy S23 while the Networks Business will focus on the domestic and overseas businesses, including North America. The Digital Appliances Business will aim to boost sales in the premium segment through new models, such as the BESPOKE Infinite Line.

For 2023, while the macroeconomic uncertainties are expected to persist, the Company anticipates demand to begin recovering in the second half. The semiconductor business will continue to reinforce market and technology leadership and expand the proportion of advanced nodes and products, such as DDR5, LPDDR5x and Gate-All-Around (GAA) processes.

Earnings at SDC’s mobile panel business is expected to be robust, and the large panel business will focus on growing the QD-OLED business and improving profitability.

The Device eXperience (DX) Division plans to improve competitiveness by strengthening the premium product line-up, based on the Company’s technology leadership. The Division also plans to expand the SmartThings ecosystem through differentiated technologies and partnerships to provide customized, hyper-connected user experiences.

The Networks Business is expected to maintain revenue growth by actively responding to new market opportunities, particularly in overseas businesses, and by reinforcing technology leadership in 5G core chips and virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN).

For the Digital Appliances Business, the Company will continue to provide hyper-connected user experiences based on SmartThings and enhance the competitiveness of premium products centered on BESPOKE models.

The Company’s capital expenditures in 2022 reached a total of KRW 53.1 trillion, including KRW 47.9 trillion for semiconductors and KRW 2.5 trillion for displays. In the fourth quarter, capital expenditures were KRW 20.2 trillion, with KRW 18.8 trillion in semiconductors and KRW 0.4 trillion in displays. Spending on memory was concentrated on investing in P3 and P4 infrastructure, in preparation for mid- to long-term bit supply and in EUV to enhance competitiveness. Foundry investments focused on expanding the production capacity of advanced nodes at Pyeongtaek as well as on the initial capacity for 3 nanometer (nm) and the infrastructure for the Taylor site.

Memory Earnings Declined in Q4; Semiconductor To Focus on High-end Product Demand in Q1

The semiconductor businesses posted KRW 20.07 trillion in consolidated revenue and KRW 0.27 trillion in operating profit in the fourth quarter.

Overall memory demand weakened as customers continued to adjust their inventories amid deepening uncertainties in the external environment. In addition to the base effect that Bit growth was below the market level last quarter, Samsung achieved Bit growth that exceeded the market by expanding sales, focusing on server applications. But, due to worsened consumer sentiment caused by deepening macro issues, the price fell further and with the effect of a meaningful amount of inventory valuation loss, the result decreased significantly compared to the previous quarter.

For DRAM, demand for server was limited as Set build declined because of economic uncertainty and customers’ stance on inventory reduction remained. Mobile and PC demand was weak because of major customers’ continued inventory adjustments and Set build reduction. But the Company expanded the portion of cutting-edge nodes by optimizing its product portfolio and actively responded to the demand for high-density products focusing on major data centers and server OEM customers. For NAND, demand for server SSD was somewhat stagnant because of customers’ inventory adjustments.

Looking to the first quarter, customers’ inventory adjustment stance has remained unchanged as economic uncertainties continue. Although demand recovery momentum in the short-term is concerned, Samsung will continue to minimize any adverse impacts by actively addressing the demand for high-end products such as LPDDR5x, with timely preparation for fast-growing DDR5 demand for server and PC.

In 2023, based on cost competitiveness, the Memory Business plans to expand the proportion of high-value-added products by addressing the demand for high-density server SSDs, responds to the high-density trend of smartphones and PC and strengthens its market leadership.

The System LSI Business saw its earnings decline in the fourth quarter due to sluggish sales caused by inventory adjustments and a decrease in sales for major components.

However, the mobile SoC business achieved its highest-ever full-year revenue and the Automotive SoC business has solidified its mid- to long-term growth base by supplying an initial sample on schedule for a European premium OEM and by signing an MOU for product development with an autonomous driving solution company in the US.

In the first quarter, impacts of sluggish demand and inventory adjustments are expected to continue for the time being. Samsung will strive to expand sales of low- to mid-priced volume zone SoCs and 200MP image sensors. And for automotive SoCs, the Company will try to sustain growth momentum through additional orders from European premium OEMs and for self-driving products.

For 2023, Samsung expects the impacts of the economic downturn to continue for the time being. However, analysis of smartphone purchase patterns suggests that demand will continue to polarize between premium and low-priced phones.

In order to respond to this divided market, for SoCs, the Company will expand sales in the volume zone while reinforcing the position of its products for flagship devices. Samsung will also ensure its major smartphone OEM customers successfully launch flagship models by smoothly supplying and expanding the line-up of its differentiated 200MP image sensors.

The Foundry Business once again set a new record in the fourth quarter for quarterly revenue thanks to increased contributions from advanced nodes for customers, an increased portion from HPC and the continuous evolution of mature processes; and its full-year sales also reached an all-time high. However, its utilization rate started to decline due to inventory adjustments.

Regarding next-generation GAA processes, the 3nm first-generation process is currently being mass-produced with a stable yield and based on the first-gen mass-production experience, the development of the 3nm second-generation process is progressing rapidly. In addition, for the process for automotive and following the mass production of 5nm, the Company started developing 4nm.

In the first quarter, Samsung expects the utilization rate to fall and earnings to decline accordingly due to weak demand.

In 2023, demand may fall temporarily in the first half of the year due to the economic slowdown and inventory adjustments. However, the Company expects market demand to recover in the second half, centering on HPC and Auto sectors.

Samsung will strive to win new customers for the 3nm second-generation process, to focus on the development of the first-generation 2nm process and continue to develop specialty and mature processes to diversify within applications such as Automotive/IoT.

Finally, given the rising importance of next-generation package technology in the HPC and mobile market, the Company has established an AdVanced Package (AVP) business team within the Device Solution Division to expand the advanced package business and bolster synergies between business units.

Mobile Display Saw Solid Earnings; To Focus on OLED and QD-OLED in 2023

SDC posted KRW 9.31 trillion in consolidated revenue and KRW 1.82 trillion in operating profit for the fourth quarter.

The mobile display business achieved solid results by focusing on high-end smartphone products despite market demand continuing to contract. For the large display business, its losses lessened in the fourth quarter thanks to increased sales of TVs during the end-year peak season. In addition, the Company exhausted its LCD inventory, completing the switch to a full-fledged QD-OLED centered business.

Looking ahead to the first quarter, Samsung expects smartphone demand to decline year-on-year due to the economic slowdown in major regions. The Company will strive to maintain its solid earnings for the mobile display business by actively responding to launches of flagship products by major customers.

In the large display business, Samsung will secure additional demand and promote an early ramp-up with the introduction of a new lineup of ultra-large TVs and large-size monitors.

In 2023, the business environment is expected to remain challenging due to unstable market conditions and intensifying competition. For the mobile display business, the Company plans to strengthen its market dominance with technological superiority in the relatively solid high-end smartphone market. In addition, Samsung will capitalize on the accelerated transition to OLED by leveraging its cost competitiveness, which is the result of its preemptive investments.

In the large display business, the Company will continue to improve profitability by solidifying its sales base in the premium market, backed by stable yields.

MX To Expand Flagship Product Sales Amid Persistent Macro Uncertainties

The MX and Networks businesses posted KRW 26.90 trillion in consolidated revenue and KRW 1.70 trillion in operating profit for the fourth quarter.

Market demand for smartphones remained weak in the fourth quarter, with the mass market contracting sharply due to continued inflation and geopolitical instability. The MX Business reported a decline in both sales and profit quarter-on-quarter, due to fading new-product effects of flagship models and a drop in smartphone sales on weak demand from the economic slowdown. The impact of the decline in sales of mass-market smartphones was greater than previously expected while flagship sales held up well relative to market projections.

In the first quarter, a sequential decrease in market demand is expected across all smartphone segments, amid continuous macroeconomic uncertainties. The Company plans to expand flagship product sales with the successful launch of its new Galaxy S23 series, equipped with an enhanced camera and gaming functionalities, among others. Samsung will also continue to enhance its Galaxy ecosystem products, consisting of PCs, tablets and wearables, while maintaining its focus on effective resource management for solid profitability.

In 2023, the Company expects smartphone market demand to contract due to persistent macroeconomic conditions. Mass-market models are expected to be impacted the most while consumer demand for premium smartphones and tablets is projected to stay relatively solid.

The MX Business plans to achieve strong sales and solid profitability by strengthening the competitiveness of its premium flagship products. For the mass-market segment, the Company plans to collaborate with mobile carriers on various sales programs, including those aimed at expanding the 5G smartphone user base. It also plans to improve the premium product experience for its tablets and wearables, through upgraded product features and multi-device experiences.

Visual Display To Continue Focus on Premium and Lifestyle Products

The Visual Display and Digital Appliances businesses recorded KRW 15.58 trillion in consolidated revenue and KRW 0.06 trillion in operating loss for the fourth quarter.

Market demand for TVs increased quarter-on-quarter on the back of year-end seasonality but contracted year-on-year due to the global economic slowdown. The Visual Display Business posted higher results than the previous quarter by meeting regional, peak-season demand and expanding sales of high-value-added products, including Neo QLED and Lifestyle models. However, results declined from a year earlier due to weaker consumer sentiment from rising interest rates and inflation.

Looking ahead to the first quarter, market demand is expected to decline both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year because of seasonality and the ongoing impact of the global economic downturn. Samsung will focus on capturing demand for premium products, including our 2023 Neo QLED, and strengthen partnerships with major channel partners. The Company will also aim to secure profitability by optimizing operations and manage costs.

In 2023, overall TV demand is expected to remain stagnant as market uncertainties are projected to persist. Based on the demand for premium products, Samsung will focus on the ultra-large-screen market with 98″ Neo QLED and continue innovations in premium products by releasing MicroLED models in various sizes as well as providing more options for OLED TVs and gaming monitors.

Part one of this two-part series focused on Samsung’s latest home appliances and displays. Here, Junghoe Kim of Samsung Research’s Robot Center¹ and Hoseong Kang from Samsung’s Mobile eXperience Business offer exclusive insights on the company’s latest robots and the new Galaxy S21 FE.

Robotics: Reimagining Robots as Life Companions

▲ Junghoe Kim of Samsung Research’s Robot Center stands alongside the Samsung Bot i interactive robot.

Q: What is the theme for Samsung Research’s showcase at CES 2022?

The overall concept for Samsung Research at CES 2022 is “Digital, Meet Physical”. We’ve gone to great lengths to show how the personalized experiences that millennials and zoomers value can be seamlessly connected to the digital world.

To that end, the ‘house’ that we set up at CES was designed to resemble a digital world like a metaverse. Our AI ​​Avatar was created to identify users’ locations in the real world using UWB (Ultra Wide Band) location recognition technology, and interact with them through the nearest smart home product.

At this year’s CES, two types of companion robots will be introduced: the Samsung Bot i, an interactive robot, and the Samsung Bot Handy, a manipulation robot that can assist with household chores. They can help users by arranging a video conference for an urgent meeting, or by setting the table for a meal. Our CES 2022 booth demonstrates how AI and robots can come together to introduce innovative user experiences to the home of the future.

Q: What are some of the Samsung Bot i and Samsung Bot Handy’s most innovative features and technologies?

The Samsung Bot i is an interactive robot that utilizes balance control technology. It moves like a living being, making dynamic and life-like movements. When it’s next to the user, it moves alongside them and offers various forms of support. When it’s away from the user, it manages various tasks for them using its telepresence² function.

The Samsung Bot Handy is a robot that helps out with various household chores using manipulation³ technology. This enables the robot to recognize objects at home and skillfully pick them up. Whereas at last year’s CES, we showcased a technology that could pick up a single object based on learning, this year, we will introduce a scenario called “tableware handling”. This technology enables the robot to pick items up after recognizing multiple objects and analyzing the surrounding environment.

▲ (From left) The Samsung Bot Handy, an AI Avatar and the Samsung Bot i

Q: How would you summarize Samsung Research’s R&D philosophy when it comes to robots, and where is the company’s research heading?

Samsung Research’s Robot Center is conducting research in various areas under the vision, “Samsung Bot, Touching Your Daily Life.” We strive to make our robots companions that help users in their daily lives by closely interacting with them and making their lives happier and more convenient. To achieve this, we’re taking core robot technologies like mobility and manipulation a step further by creating platforms based on our extensive expertise in AI, and we’re developing various robots based on research in those areas.

The Galaxy S21 FE: A Smartphone for Fans, by Fans

▲ Mobile eXperience team member Hoseong Kang holds up the Galaxy S21 FE, the newest S series smartphone, designed with feedback from Galaxy fans

Q: Which features of the newly unveiled Galaxy S21 FE should people pay special attention to?

The goal of the Galaxy S21 FE (Fan Edition) is to offer the Galaxy S series experience to even more users. It was created by combining the most beloved features of the Galaxy S21. What makes the S21 FE so special is that it makes the S21 series’ flagship experience available to more people while offering the same iconic contour-cut design, outstanding AI-powered camera, Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and flagship performance.

The camera is a crucially important part of the smartphone. Millennials and zoomers (members of Gen Z) in particular make use of the front-facing camera in a range of different ways. That’s why we equipped the S21 FE with a high-resolution, 32MP front camera that lets you take high-quality photos anytime, anywhere.

Q: Galaxy FE devices are designed to allow more people to enjoy the core flagship features that Galaxy users love. How are users’ opinions gathered on functions, and what insights have you gained through that research?

When planning FE devices, we collect feedback on the Galaxy series from thousands of fans. Through that research, we’ve been able to identify which aspects of the Galaxy S series fans love the most.

We listen closely to their feedback and identify the common perceptions about Galaxy devices that transcend regional and cultural boundaries. One of the insights that has come up repeatedly in our research is that many fans associate Galaxy devices with the idea of constant innovation. This is something that Galaxy devices have earned by driving innovation in the mobile space for more than a decade. It’s also the core philosophy that the FE line, and other future products, must live up to.

▲ The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE empowers fans to express themselves with four unique new colors

Q: Why is Samsung continuously expanding the Galaxy S series lineup? What is the ultimate goal?

When it comes to innovating with the mobile experience, Samsung is at the forefront. We have always been one step ahead of market demand, and we’ve been able to use the Galaxy brand to bring users new and innovative mobile experiences. The Galaxy S21 FE is the latest product of our approach to innovation. With its unique colors and design, it offers users a broader range of choices, helping them express themselves.

¹ Samsung Electronics’ advanced R&D hub, which leads the development of future technologies for its Device eXperience division

² Refers to a virtual video conferencing system that makes participants feel as if they are in the same room.

³ Refers to the skillful manipulation of objects with hands. This includes picking objects up.

“With the recent proliferation of electric vehicles and the rapid advancement of infotainment and autonomous driving systems, the semiconductor automotive platform is facing a paradigm shift. What used to be a seven to eight-year replacement cycle is now being compressed into a three to four-year cycle, and at the same time, performance and capacity requirements are advancing to levels commonly found in servers,” said Jinman Han, Executive Vice President and Head of Memory Global Sales & Marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung’s reinforced lineup of memory solutions will act as a major catalyst in further accelerating the shift toward the ‘Server on Wheels’ era.”

Advanced features in infotainment systems such as high-definition maps, video streaming and 3D gaming, together with the growing use of autonomous driving systems, have been driving the demand for high-capacity, high-performance SSDs and graphics DRAM throughout the automotive industry.

In 2017, Samsung was the first in the industry to introduce UFS solutions for automotive applications. Today, the company is well-positioned to provide a total memory solution with the new automotive SSD and GDDR6 DRAM.

Samsung’s 256GB BGA SSD controller and firmware are developed in-house for optimized performance, offering a sequential read speed of 2,100 megabytes per second (MB/s) and a sequential write speed of 300MB/s, which are seven and two times faster than today’s eMMC, respectively. Furthermore, the 2GB GDDR6 DRAM features up to a 14 gigabit-per-second (Gbps) data rate per pin. Such exceptional speeds and bandwidth will support complex processing of various multimedia applications as well as large amounts of autonomous driving data, contributing to a safer, more dynamic and more convenient driving experience.

In addition, Samsung’s new automotive solutions meet the AEC-Q100 qualification — the global automotive reliability standard — allowing them to operate stably in extreme temperatures ranging from -40°C to +105°C, which is an especially crucial requirement for automotive semiconductors.

Recently, sensor deployment in autonomous vehicles to continuously monitor immediate surroundings has been increasing, and high-speed processing to interpret and predict this data for safer driving is becoming critically important. By introducing automotive memory solutions previously championed in servers and AI accelerators, Samsung is helping to pave the way for safer autonomous driving.

Having already completed customer evaluations, the new automotive memory products are currently in mass production.

VoNR technology supports both voice call and data service using the 5G network while the current 5G network approach switches into 4G network when making voice calls. Without the need for switching between networks, VoNR provides a higher chance of maintaining connection in voice call as well as faster call connection times. Users can also enjoy true 5G speeds when playing high-performance games or streaming high-quality videos even while staying on a call.

Samsung’s VoNR solution includes key technologies such as an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Quality of Service (QoS), and handover.

The Exynos Chip, which applied the comprehensive VoNR solution

IMS is the key technology for VoNR that enables all multimedia services – such as audio, video, and extensive data services – within a single IP (internet protocol) network. Samsung’s 5G NR (New Radio) communication protocol stack for the IMS used in 4G voice calls (VoLTE) is designed for stable compatibility with VoNR services as well. The protocol stack is an aggregation of software layers that implement the communication protocols needed for different devices to communicate data with each other.

Samsung has also developed the QoS that provides stable support for 5G VoNR and the technology that assists uninterrupted handover between nearby network base stations. QoS analyzes the flow of data using the network and determines the priority of services in real-time. Additionally, Samsung’s protocol stack places the highest priority on voice calls anytime, anywhere, thereby enhancing the quality of VoNR.

“With a surge in the number of 5G smartphone users, there is a higher demand for various 5G technologies and services,” said Jonghan Kim, Vice President of System LSI Business at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to deliver next-generation mobile communication technologies, including VoNR service support, that will bring users together, faster.”

Samsung’s prolific journey in 5G includes the launch of the Exynos Modem 5100 in 2018, which was the industry’s first multi-mode chip that is fully compliant with the 5G telecommunication standard (5G NR Release-15). The momentum continued in January this year, with the launch of the Exynos 2100, Samsung’s first premium mobile SoC with an integrated 5G modem.

Being a part of the industry’s first commercial VoNR deployment in Singapore back in July and building on that momentum, Samsung is currently providing its 5G VoNR-integrated solution to global mobile device manufacturers while conducting focused localization and automation tests for VoNR deployment with global network companies.

Samsung reached Wi-Fi downlink speeds of 1.8Gbps using a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra on a moving subway train in the trial. This speed is approximately 25 times faster than the current average speed of 71Mbps on Seoul’s subway lines. The use of Samsung’s 5G Compact Macro helped boost Wi-Fi data speeds by leveraging the ultra-high capacity of 5G mmWave spectrum as a backhaul.

This trial took place in parts of Seoul Metro, covering five stations on the subway line circulating through major downtown areas. The enhanced Wi-Fi service was powered by Samsung’s 5G mmWave Compact Macro, installed along the railways and utilizing 800MHz in the 28GHz spectrum band.

In addition to delivering faster Wi-Fi speeds, the wide bandwidth of mmWave enables exceptional mobile experience on smartphones and tablets in hotspots, such as sports stadiums and shopping malls. 5G use cases have expanded to various business areas including public transportation, such as high-speed trains, buses, and more.

“We are pleased to deliver an enhanced mobile experience, with faster download speeds and connections for subway passengers, leveraging our advanced 5G mmWave solution,” said Seungil Kim, Vice President and Head of Korea Business, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Our successful speed trial on public transportation proves the high potential of 5G mmWave, demonstrating its capability to complement existing wireless technologies, and boosting the performance of legacy networks, all while providing a foundation for future telecommunication services.”

Samsung’s Compact Macro brings together a baseband unit, radio and antenna in a single form factor. This compact and lightweight solution can be easily installed on the sides of the buildings as well as on utility poles for a swift buildout of 5G networks. Samsung’s Compact Macro is the first 5G product to be listed on the U.S. National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) Product Compliant List (PCL) and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security’s Certified Product List.

Samsung has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end infrastructure solutions including chipsets, radios, and core. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its market-leading product portfolio from fully virtualized RAN and Core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company is currently providing network solutions to mobile operators that deliver connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world.

With 5G networks, a self-learning AI-based tool’s ability to manage operations and optimize performance offers clear benefits for mobile operators. That said, we believe that complementing such tools with human creativity and decision-making will help bring the technology’s enormous potential to reality. With this in mind, Samsung has developed an AI tool known as CognitiV Analytics, which can collaborate with human counterparts to help mobile operators resolve various issues related to managing 5G networks.

I’d like to share how Samsung’s latest human-AI collaborative tool helps mobile operators optimize services and manage 5G networks more effectively.

Quality and Collaboration Are Key

CognitiV Analytics represents a big step forward for 5G network management. The solution’s ability to swiftly identify technical issues and accurately analyze network quality stems from two key features. The first is its ability to analyze the performance and quality of services across entire networks, while the second is the collaboration it fosters with its human counterparts.

In order to properly analyze network performance, it requires the collection and evaluation of entire service flows for each and every user. For example, in order to determine the service quality that a subscriber is experiencing when streaming videos, mobile operators need to know how various elements of their 5G networks, including RAN and Core, are operating together, and whether any issues have arisen. This is no small task. Because the sheer amount of raw data from each element is so massive, analyzing that data requires an extremely powerful AI tool.

To aid this process, Samsung and Zhilabs, a Samsung Company, created CognitiV Analytics. This powerful solution collects data from various sources from networks and uses that data to create a big-picture snapshot of the network’s status.

The solution offers comprehensive analysis, making it easier for mobile operators to evaluate and view network performance, services and other valuable information, eliminating the need to utilize multiple analytics solutions to obtain the same information. CognitiV Analytics tool offers the ability to offer fast analysis and also minimizes human error that can come with moving complex data across multiple tools.

By working closely with human counterparts and providing them with detailed explanations of its actions, our CognitiV Analytics solution offers greater transparency on how AI addresses particular problems. Over time, these interactions will help increase the tool’s accuracy and efficiency while enabling mobile operators to become more familiar with and trusting of AI.

The Importance of Strengthening AI Tools

CognitiV Analytics not only showcases what our AI technology is capable of, but it also demonstrates how AI can be used to solve important issues, and proves just how easily it can be incorporated into commercial networks. Included among the solution’s key features are its abilities; to learn using diverse data sets; to apply rule-based analysis; and to implement automation.

CognitiV Analytics’ AI has proven capable of quickly ascertaining important information about mobile operators’ networks even at the initial stage of its implementation, when only small data sets have been available. In order for AI to learn, it must be able to work with both labeled and unlabeled data. A typical data label might indicate whether a photo contains a horse or a cow, or what type of action is being performed in a video. Labeled network data, however, is expensive to obtain, since a few highly trained engineers can perform sophisticated labeling process. Therefore, in order for AI analytics tool to offer meaningful insights even at the initial stage, its AI must be capable of learning from unlabeled data. Our AI has the capability to learn from both labeled and unlabeled data, being able to support mobile operators from day one.

While most 5G network data sets can be analyzed with AI, some data features distinct characteristics that make it unsuitable for AI-based analysis. Such cases require users to apply their own rules, based on their experience and expertise, to assess their data. This is called rule-based analysis. CognitiV Analytics incorporates this analysis by enabling users to mix and match AI-based and rule-based analysis. This streamlines connections by offering mobile operators more accurate evaluations of network performance.

When we talk about automation in 5G networks, we’re talking about a process that typically features four phases: (1) discover the problem, (2) identify the root cause, (3) find the solution, and (4) apply the solution to the network. Some mobile operators tend to prefer to take some time to understand how AI-based analytics tools manage issues in each phase. Those of us in the industry believe this boils down to the familiarity and reliability of AI. Our CognitiV Analytics solution is designed to address the issue by applying each phase in steps, so mobile operators can take time to understand the AI in managing their 5G networks.

Samsung’s CognitiV Analytics is already being utilized in commercial networks that enable connections for hundreds of millions of mobile users. What is notable about this is the fact that our solution supports closed-loop automation, automatically offering recommended configurations for each element of a particular network. It features automatic KPI monitoring and fallback functions to guard against KPI degradation, which helps keep service levels constant across entire networks. In addition, based on its analysis of real-time data, CognitiV Analytics automatically adjusts network configurations to better manage fluctuations in traffic patterns and environmental changes.

Harnessing AI for Future Networks

For today’s mobile operators, proper network management is a complicated and essential part of keeping the world connected. It’s also an aspect of their operations that features no room for error. As the number of connected devices increases and more immersive use cases are introduced, mobile operators require simple tools that aid managing commercial networks and allow them to quickly respond to pressing issues. Powerful, AI-based management tools working closely with human counterparts make this possible.

We look forward to creating a future in which fully automated mobile networks behave like living organisms, promptly identifying issues and resolving them like our body would heal a wound. This means that if, for example, we found ourselves unable to stream a movie on our smartphone, the network’s AI-based management tool would fix the issue on its own. When AI expects an increase in traffic, it would expand network capacity by automatically adding network resources. While it will take some time to make these experiences a reality, we can make them possible by continuing to advance AI the right way.

CognitiV Analytics is a reflection of Samsung’s ongoing commitment to harnessing AI, which will bring incredible opportunities to enrich our everyday lives. Combining the power of AI and human creativity can provide mobile operators with the solutions they need to simplify operations and better manage network resources.

The announcement follows the launch of Samsung’s Networks Business in Australia in April 2021, and since then, the company has been exploring the delivery of Samsung’s leading 5G mmWave technologies to the nation.

TPG Telecom, a leading mobile network operator in Australia, operates a number of leading mobile and internet brands in Australia including Vodafone. Recently, TPG Telecom announced its investment of AU$108 million to acquire spectrum in all available license areas in the 26GHz band – tripling its total spectrum holdings. With abundant mmWave spectrum, TPG Telecom will be able to offer high speed data services and immersive use cases for its mobile and home users. TPG Telecom’s extensive fiber assets combined with a network of small cells will enable the deployment of vRAN architecture.

For the trial, Samsung will provide its Compact Macro and vRAN solution. Samsung’s latest 5G Compact Macro brings together a baseband, radio and antenna in a single form-factor. This compact and lightweight solution can be easily installed on the sides of buildings, as well as on utility poles, for the swift build-out of 5G networks. Samsung’s industry-leading commercial vRAN solution is built on the company’s independently developed stack, and runs on commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) servers. As a leader in vRAN, Samsung has commercially deployed its vRAN solution in wide scale for global Tier 1 operators’ networks in markets outside of Australia, and recently expanded its capability to support 3.5GHz Massive MIMO radio, which many industry voices had said would be hard to support with vRAN. Moreover, Samsung’s 5G vRAN on mmWave, already commercially deployed in global markets, including Korea, Japan and the U.S, has the capacity to support multi-gigabit speeds, delivering IT technology efficiencies and deployment advantages, while offering transformational 5G mobile experiences.

“We are very pleased to partner with Samsung as part of our new Innovation Lab to drive product and technology innovation by trialing virtualization,” said Iñaki Berroeta, CEO at TPG Telecom. “Deploying mmWave spectrum on our 5G network together with vRAN architecture will allow us to develop exciting 5G use cases for industry verticals and enable the delivery of even faster speeds and greater capacity for our customers.”

“Samsung is excited to begin this trial with TPG Telecom powered by our innovative 5G vRAN solution and latest integrated 26GHz mmWave product, which will be the first in Australia,” said Woojune Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Through a combination of our powerful 5G solutions and ongoing efforts in 5G development, Samsung looks forward to helping TPG Telecom gain the full benefits of 5G to reshape the value of mobile experiences for users and enterprises.”

Samsung has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions including chipsets, radios, and core. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its market-leading product portfolio from fully virtualized RAN and Core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company is currently providing network solutions to mobile operators that deliver connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world.

About TPG Telecom

TPG Telecom (ASX:TPG) is an Australian telecommunications company which is home to some of Australia’s most-loved brands including Vodafone, TPG, iiNet, AAPT, Internode, Lebara and felix.

TPG Telecom owns and operates nationwide mobile and fixed networks that are connecting Australia for the better. These include Australia’s second-largest fixed voice and data network, with more than 27,000 kilometres of metropolitan and inter-capital fibre networks and a leading mobile network comprising more than 5,600 sites and covering over 23 million Australians.

As the second largest telecommunications company listed on the ASX, TPG Telecom has a strong challenger spirit and a commitment to delivering the best services and products to our customers.

For more information, visit https://www.tpgtelecom.com.au/

As operators continue to extend their 5G coverage, a key challenge they face is the space and footprint restrictions at sites and on towers. Samsung’s all-in-one radio will address varied environmental and site demands–easing installation, saving space and reducing OPEX for operators. The new solution will become part of Samsung’s Radio Access Network (RAN) portfolio in early 2022, initially targeting the European market.

Key benefits of Samsung’s One Antenna Radio are:

• Site Simplification: The streamlined solution uses compact hardware to blend into a municipality’s environment, and reduces cabling and hardware elements to minimize visual impact in dense urban areas.
• Simplified Installation: Deployment is made simple by eliminating the need to install and connect radios and multiple antennas separately, accelerating installation and reducing labor costs.
• OPEX Savings: By requiring less space on sites or towers, and with a smaller footprint, operators can save on expenses, including rental and maintenance costs.

“We are proud to introduce our One Antenna Radio to provide industry-leading performance that’s designed to address various deployment environments,” said Wonil Roh, Senior Vice President and Head of Product Strategy, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Recognizing that mounting hardware, cabling, crew site time and space limitations are a challenge for most operators, we created a solution to help tackle this issue, and expand deployment boundaries.”

Samsung has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions including chipsets, radios and core. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its market-leading product portfolio from fully virtualized RAN and Core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company is currently providing network solutions to mobile operators that deliver connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world.