At the exhibition, Samsung Electronics operated a 350-square-meter booth and presented its vision for next-generation HVAC solutions under the theme “Enabling Better Living.” Spanning residential to commercial applications, Samsung demonstrated how AI-driven energy management and advanced maintenance innovations can deliver tangible benefits in real-world environments.

Samsung Newsroom sat down with Hye-seong Baek, Vice President of the Digital Appliances (DA) Business at Samsung Electronics, to discuss the company’s HVAC innovations and strategies.

▲ Hye-seong Baek, Vice President of Digital Appliances (DA) Business at Samsung Electronics

 Q. What were the key factors behind Samsung’s participation in this year’s AHR Expo?

Since Samsung’s first official debut in 2015, Samsung has showcased its latest innovations at the AHR Expo every year. Additionally, North America is the world’s second-largest HVAC market, and it represents a critical arena where the industry’s most advanced technologies compete.

At this year’s exhibition, Samsung directly engaged with its partners to share its differentiated business vision and AI-based HVAC solutions, while further strengthening mid- to long-term partnerships built on mutual trust.

Q. What were the key products and solutions showcased at this year’s Expo?

Samsung unveiled a wide range of solutions that bring enhanced convenience and connectivity to diverse industrial applications and customer environments.

In the commercial segment, Samsung introduced the DVM S2+, a high-efficiency, large-capacity air-conditioning solution with significantly enhanced AI capabilities. At its core is on-device AI that learns from its environment in real time to minimize energy consumption while delivering optimal indoor comfort.

In line with residential sustainability trends, Samsung is targeting the North American unitary[1] market with Hylex, an inverter-based outdoor unit that uses the low global warming potential (GWP)[2] R454B refrigerant, as a key product. The newly introduced Hylex features inverter technology that delivers high energy efficiency, low noise and a compact design tailored to North American consumer preferences.

Samsung also strengthened its EHS lineup of residential air-to-water heat pumps (AWHPs), offering a practical alternative to conventional fossil-fuel boilers while maximizing hot-water supply and heating efficiency.

▲ Samsung Electronics showcased its HVAC system and solutions at the AHR Expo 2026

Q. At this year’s CES, Samsung shared its vision of HVAC solutions serving as a new growth engine. Why is Samsung increasingly focusing on the HVAC sector?

HVAC is a core technology that regulates temperature and humidity across residential, commercial and industrial facilities, and the HVAC sector plays an essential role in supporting everyday life by providing optimal air conditions in these spaces. In recent years, the market has gained further momentum amid global efforts to address climate change, paired with increasingly comprehensive regulations on eco-conscious energy use. Looking ahead, Samsung anticipates the market to grow annually at a stable rate of approximately 5%.

Samsung is focusing on scaling HVAC services in connection with smart homes and smart cities. By integrating Samsung’s AI technologies and SmartThings across the broader HVAC market, Samsung expects to see strong potential to create meaningful synergies ranging from remote maintenance to energy cost optimization.

Q. What do you see as the key trends shaping the U.S. HVAC market in 2026?

This year, the key trends in the U.S. market are sustainability and high efficiency. Environmental regulations such as the adoption of low-GWP refrigerants are continuing to expand into the commercial sector, alongside new design and installation standards being introduced. In response, the market is shifting away from high energy-consuming, fixed-speed air conditioners toward high-efficiency inverter heat pump systems.

In the residential segment, demand for eco-conscious HVAC heat pumps is steadily increasing, while the adoption of VRF(Variable Refrigerant Flow) systems is accelerating in the commercial sector. This is driving greater diversification across HVAC solutions, while rising demand for AI data centers and high-performance computing is fueling the growth of precision cooling systems as an increasingly important market segment.

Moreover, AI-based predictive maintenance and optimization technologies — along with comfort and energy-saving solutions enabled by a wide range of IoT sensors — are becoming more widespread, with improvements in energy and operational efficiency emerging as a key industry trend.

Q. What sets Samsung apart from its competitors in the highly competitive North American HVAC market?

In North America, the residential segment accounts for approximately 70% of the HVAC market, while the commercial segment represents about 30%. In the residential space, Samsung is expanding its regional distribution network with Samsung Lennox HVAC North America, its joint venture with leading residential HVAC provider Lennox. Through this venture, Samsung leverages its energy-efficient, inverter-based ductless lineup.

In the commercial segment, Samsung is working closely with FläktGroup, Europe’s largest HVAC equipment provider — which the company recently acquired. Together, the companies offer comprehensive, customized solutions centered on modular chillers,[3] tailored for high-value applications such as data centers and cleanrooms.

Above all, Samsung’s most distinctive strength lies in the hyperconnectivity enabled by SmartThings and SmartThings Pro. In residential settings, this means continuously evolving experiences as a result of seamless connectivity, while in commercial environments, it manifests as advanced solutions that significantly enhance building-wide energy optimization and maintenance efficiency.

Q. What are Samsung’s goals in the North American HVAC market?

The goal is clear: to leap forward as a top-tier HVAC player in the North American market by leveraging advanced technologies and a diverse product portfolio.

Building on Samsung’s unique strengths in the ductless segment, Samsung is planning to expand into the ducted market — where centralized systems are the norm — through strategic synergies with FläktGroup. With the combination of Samsung’s chiller technologies and FläktGroup’s advanced cooling solutions, Samsung will deliver optimized solutions for data center applications.

In parallel, Samsung will continue to accelerate the rollout of products with low GWP and further strengthen AI-powered energy-saving technologies. Through these efforts, Samsung aims to deliver a differentiated, integrated energy management experience for consumers in the North American residential market, where heating and cooling account for a significant share of electricity consumption.

For more information, visit: https://news.samsung.com/my/

[1] Commonly used in North America, residential unitary systems cool homes and mid-sized buildings by distributing chilled air through ductwork.

[2] A metric that indicates the amount of energy the emission of 1 ton of gas will absorb over a given period of time, relative to the emission of 1 ton of carbon dioxide.

[3] A system designed with cooling capacity divided into multiple independent modules, enabling a stable supply of heating and cooling to meet a building or facility’s load requirements.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire all shares of FläktGroup, a leading global HVAC solutions provider, for €1.5 billion from European investment firm Triton. With the global applied HVAC market experiencing rapid growth, the acquisition reinforces Samsung’s commitment to expanding and strengthening its HVAC business.

“Through the acquisition of FläktGroup, an applied HVAC specialist, Samsung Electronics has laid the foundation to become a leader in the global HVAC business, offering a full range of solutions to our customers,” said TM Roh, Acting Head of the Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics. “Our commitment is to continue investing in and developing the high-growth HVAC business as a key future growth engine.”

FläktGroup, based in Herne, Germany, has over a century of accumulated technological expertise and design capabilities, offering diverse products and solutions tailored to each customer. FläktGroup supplies high-reliability and high-efficiency HVAC systems to a wide range of buildings and facilities, including data centers that require stable cooling, museums and libraries managing sensitive historical artifacts, airports and terminals with high foot traffic, and large hospitals where hygiene, temperature, and humidity control are critically important.

In the large-scale data center market globally, FläktGroup has secured high customer satisfaction through its product performance, reliability, and service support, achieving substantial revenue growth over the past three years. FläktGroup’s data center solutions include its industry-leading liquid cooling and air cooling products, which have enabled customers to reduce energy consumption, contributing to achieving lower carbon footprint goals.

Last year, FläktGroup won the DCS Cooling Innovation of the Year Award at the DCS Cooling Awards, in recognition of its innovative and advanced technologies.

“We are extremely pleased that FläktGroup has become a part of Samsung Electronics. FläktGroup, as a global top-tier HVAC specialist with over a century of expertise, has been relied on by global large clients for its technological and product innovations,” said Trevor Young, CEO of FläktGroup. “Now, with Samsung Electronics’ global business foundation and investment, we expect to further accelerate our growth.”

In addition to data centers, FläktGroup has secured a diverse portfolio of over 60 large customers, including leading pharmaceutical companies, biotech and food and beverage firms, and gigafactories.

Samsung investing in HVAC business as key growth engine

The HVAC industry is expected to continue growing with demand for innovative and energy-efficient solutions that improve air quality and control temperature and humidity to provide comfort and safety. Samsung will continue to invest in the HVAC business and has recently made acquisitions and investments across robotics, medical technology and the consumer audio sectors as part of its commitment to expand into new growth businesses.

According to some market research forecasts, the applied HVAC market is projected to grow from $61 billion in 2024 to $99 billion by 2030, at an annual growth rate of 8%, while the data center cooling market is expected to grow at a faster pace at an annual growth rate of 18%. The data center segment in particular has high entry barriers, requiring global supply experience and the ability to present optimal designs and solutions for customers.

In its acquisition of FläktGroup, Samsung anticipates sustained growth in data center demand due to the proliferation of generative AI, robotics, autonomous driving, XR, and other technologies.

In addition, Samsung’s building integration control solution (b.IoT) and FläktGroup’s HVAC control solution (FläktEdge) will offer a full suite of HVAC and building energy control systems, through which the company expects an expansion of its service and maintenance business.

Samsung has been expanding its HVAC business with a focus on ductless systems, which supply general and system air conditioners to residential and commercial buildings. In May 2024, Samsung formed a joint venture with Lennox International Inc. to strengthen its position in the North America HVAC market and added Lennox’s distribution channels to the company’s own sales channels.

The transaction is expected to close within 2025.

Samsung Electronics today announced it will showcase its comprehensive Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) product lineup at the 2025 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) to be held Feb. 10-12 in Orlando, Florida. At booth 6043, the company will introduce key products — including Hylex universal inverter-driven heat pumps (premium and standard series), EHS Mono air-to-water heat pumps and R32-based DVM S2 variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems — across four different zones (Featured Products, Light Commercial, Commercial and Residential / Controls / Compressor).

Held at the Orange County Convention Center, the AHR Expo is co-sponsored by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Since its inception in 1930, the expo has been regarded as the industry’s biggest and best event for OEMs, engineers, contractors and other trade professionals, making it an ideal venue for the company to demonstrate its latest HVAC technologies and products.

“The AHR Expo serves as an annual bellwether for the industry, which is why we’ve decided to introduce cutting-edge products like the Hylex series of heat pumps at this event, said Hank Choi, Corporate VP and Head of Air Solution Business Team, Digital Appliances (DA) Business at Samsung Electronics. “We are confident that the newest iterations of Samsung’s innovative HVAC technology will help to uplift the user experience across consumer and commercial applications around the globe.”

Hylex Heat Pumps Are True Game Changers for Residential HVAC

As a universal inverter-driven heat pump, Hylex has been designed to revolutionize HVAC through seamless installation and high efficiency. Hylex systems can utilize existing refrigerant piping and provide different piping options for even greater installation flexibility during replacement applications. To further reduce installation costs, they can also use existing control wiring and are compatible with most 24VAC thermostats. Available in the Premium, Deluxe+, and Deluxe series, Hylex also offers built-in Wi-Fi for energy and unit monitoring through SmartThings.[1]

EHS Mono Brings Water Heating With Low Noise

Comprising a ClimateHub or Hydro indoor unit and one EHS Mono HT outdoor unit, Samsung’s EHS Mono is a water-heating solution with enhanced capabilities that caters to user needs, even at extreme outside temperatures. The combination of various advanced features allows it to achieve a hot water temperature of up to 158°F (70°C) with an operating range of -13°F to 95°F (-25°C to 35°C).

On the engineering level, the EHS Mono HT Quiet’s has a flash injection compressor that enhances heating performance at low temperatures through increased refrigerant mass flow. The heat pump also benefits from new noise-reducing technologies, which allow it to operate at noise levels as low as 35 dB(A) at three meters (10 feet) in low noise mode.

DVM S2 Offers Next-Gen Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) Performance

The DVM S2, which is the latest generation of Samsung’s Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems, has been designed to deliver energy efficiency along with excellent heating and cooling performance. The system optimizes heating cycles by analyzing fan motor currents and temperature data, reducing defrost duration and improving comfort. Additionally, high- and low-pressure control ensures precise system adjustments, automatically recognizing pipe lengths and optimizing pressure levels to reduce the energy used by the compressor by up to 15%.[2]

Furthermore, the DVM S2 uses data from various sensors to determine the ideal amount of refrigerant and detect refrigerant volume so that it can ensure improved performance[3] and provide early warnings for maintenance. It also brings reduced liquid pipe diameters to lower the overall system charge by 28% on average,[4] making the system more efficient and cost-effective.

To find out more about Samsung’s HVAC systems, visit https://www.samsunghvac.com/.

[1] Available for download on the Google Play store and App Store®. A network connection is required. Samsung application account is necessary.

[2] Conditions apply. Refer to technical documents for more information.

[3] Requires an initial dedicated refrigerant check function during commissioning.

[4] Restrictions apply.

Thanks to extensive growth of its partnership network, SmartThings Energy is growing into a smart energy management solution able to encompass the energy consumption of every appliance in a home, and even integrates such newer, renewable energy sources as solar.

Read on to learn more about this innovative new service and how it is empowering consumers to make smart decisions that reduce both their energy bills and their carbon footprint.

SmartThings Energy: The Smart Way to Manage Energy Usage

SmartThings Energy’s core capability is its ability to monitor and analyze the energy used by devices and appliances connected to the SmartThings platform. Users are provided with a comprehensive view of how their devices use energy so they can take control of their energy consumption and reduce their monthly energy bill.

Not only can the service be harnessed to automatically switch appliances to low energy mode and prevent appliances from running when no one is at home, the service can also notify you when your energy consumption exceeds monthly targets. SmartThings Energy can also use energy billing system information, including peak time rates, in order to help you adjust your energy usage and subsequently minimize energy costs.

Available in Korea, India, the U.S. and the U.K., SmartThings Energy currently supports most Samsung Home Appliances and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) products. In the future, SmartThings Energy is set to expand into more regions and support compatibility with a range of Works With SmartThings (WWST) 3^rd-party partners.

Fostering Partnerships for More Powerful Smart Energy Management

When developing their smart energy management solution, Samsung envisaged SmartThings Energy as a way to empower users to be able to control the way energy is used throughout their homes and make smarter, greener decisions at home.

“We are pursuing partnerships with major energy providers around the world to provide a comprehensive view of energy consumption through SmartThings Energy,” noted Chanwoo Park, Vice President and Head of IoT Business group at Samsung Electronics. “We believe that through these partnerships, SmartThings users will be able to make more informed choices about their energy consumption that will not only save them money but also help them lead a more eco-conscious lifestyle.”

These partnership efforts kicked off with two major agreements recently announced in Korea. The first, made with Korea’s largest electric utility company, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), will provide energy usage information from KEPCO to SmartThings Energy for users who have given consent, meaning that users will have access to information about their entire homes’ energy consumption beyond just those devices connected to SmartThings. This service will be available for users in Korea starting later this year.

This development will set the groundwork for allowing whole home energy monitoring with Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI), or smart meters, through SmartThings Energy in regions around the world.

The second agreement, announced in early July 2021, is a partnership between SmartThings Energy and Q CELLS, a global leading solar manufacturer. Under this agreement, SmartThings Energy will be able to connect to Q CELLS’ solar modules, energy storage systems, and energy management systems. Once this solution is available, users will be able to monitor and control how they generate, save and use solar power, optimizing their energy consumption for both cost efficiency and sustainability.

The SmartThings Ecosystem: Working Together for the User and the Environment

SmartThings Energy is one of the latest services available on the SmartThings platform, which currently consists of such handy smart solutions as SmartThings Cooking, Clothing Care and Air.

When such solutions and services come together with Samsung’s range of leading intelligent home appliances, mobile and wearable devices and other lifestyle products, users can not only customize their lifestyles in ways that prioritize a more sustainable future, but also enjoy optimal convenience and efficiency in their routines, home management and more.

The introduction of the SmartThings Energy platform as a complement to the existing SmartThings ecosystem and associated devices is the next step in the journey towards totally personalized and sustainable living. Stay tuned to Samsung Newsroom for the latest news about SmartThings Energy and the SmartThings ecosystem as it continues to grow.