▲ Blanco, an Urban Venue

The forum was organised into four sessions — Sustainability, Health AI, Galaxy AI and Home AI, — each addressing the transformative changes and challenges innovation will bring to these areas. With around 100 media representatives and industry professionals in attendance, the panels centered on the disruptive potential of AI and offered blueprints for future technologies across various sectors.

Samsung Newsroom visited the first Galaxy Tech Forum session, titled “How Mobile Technology Can Accelerate a Sustainable Future,” to learn about Samsung’s mobile innovations and partnerships that are contributing to a brighter tomorrow.

Driving Mobile Innovation and Sustainability

Samsung is committed to accelerating a sustainable future for both people and the planet.

▲ (From left to right) Tamara Gondo, Michael Stewart, Dr. Stuart Sandin, Daniel Araujo and Cassie Smith

Despite the numerous benefits offered to modern society, the rapid growth of the mobile industry has also brought significant environmental challenges. To address those challenges, Samsung has made the actualisation of a sustainable future a cornerstone of the company’s vision for mobile devices.

▲ Daniel Araujo from Samsung Electronics

“We’ve made significant progress in fostering sustainable practices throughout our product lifecycle and this is only possible through open collaboration with like-minded partners. And there is even more to come,” said Daniel Araujo, Head of Sustainability Management Office, Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics.

“Each device of the S25 series will include at least 50% recycled cobalt, and for the first time in Galaxy history, the battery of the S25 model will be made with recycled cobalt sourced from previously used Galaxy smartphones,” he continued, highlighting Samsung’s advancements in product circularity.

Leveraging Galaxy Camera Technology To Restore Vital Marine Ecosystems

Since the launch of the Galaxy S22 series in 2022, Samsung has incorporated over 150 tonnes of discarded fishing nets — equivalent to the weight of 15 million plastic water bottles — into Galaxy products. Along the way, the company has recognised the critical threat ocean-bound plastic poses to coral reefs and has taken a leading role in restoration efforts through strategic partnerships.

Dr. Stuart Sandin, a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego said coral reefs are home to a quarter of all marine life, and over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income and protection from storms and erosion. He added that with more than 50% of the world’s coral reefs already lost and ocean-bound plastic threatening the remaining marine ecosystems, new restoration methods using mobile technology are gaining traction.

▲ Dr. Stuart Sandin from the University of California San Diego, Scripps Institute of Oceanography

“We partnered with Samsung because of our shared commitment to innovation and collaboration. Our optimistic and technology-forward approach is contributing to new solutions for coral reef restoration,” said Michael Stewart, co-founder of Seatrees — a nonprofit dedicated to protecting marine ecosystems. His announcement of the organisation’s partnership with Samsung was followed by a trailer for an upcoming documentary about the collaborative efforts between the companies.

▲ Michael Stewart from Seatrees

Araujo explained that to support Seatrees’ efforts, Samsung developed Ocean Mode[1] — a new camera setting that optimises underwater photography on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. He discussed how the feature will provide valuable visual data that can be used to 3D map coral reefs to aid efforts for their restoration. The panelists acknowledged that mobile technology is making environmental conservation more accessible since high-quality data can now be collected with lightweight, user-friendly smartphones.

Empowering Young Leaders Through Technology

“Beyond environmental efforts, Samsung has collaborated with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to empower future generations in achieving the Global Goals,” explained moderator Cassie Smith, Senior Manager of Corporate Sustainability and U.S. Public Affairs at Samsung Electronics America. The success of Samsung’s five-year partnership with the UNDP led to the launch of the Samsung Global Goals app and Generation17 initiative.

▲ Cassie Smith from Samsung Electronics America

“Being part of Generation17 gave me confidence, access to resources and a global platform, which opened up a world of possibilities that inspired me to grow my business, Liberty Society, and its impact,” said Tamara Gondo, CEO of Liberty Society — a social enterprise that funds upskilling for marginalized women. “Participating in global events such as Mobile World Congress and the United Nations General Assembly gave me a seat at the decision-making table.”

▲ Tamara Gondo, CEO of Liberty Society and a Generation17 Young Leader

Araujo underscored Tamara’s remarks and stressed the importance of young leaders in achieving the Global Goals, encouraging ongoing efforts and inviting attendees to look forward to the new group of Young Leaders later this year.

The Sustainability session provided an in-depth exploration of how mobile technology can address environmental and social challenges. Samsung’s unwavering commitment to innovation and sustainability is paving the way for meaningful change on a global scale.

[1] Exclusively developed for this project and only available to Seatrees and its partners.

Delivering Meaningful Progress for the World’s Oceans

Samsung is dedicated to protecting the environment for future generations, a commitment that drives the company’s innovation and positive impact for both people and the planet. This dedication has led Samsung to focus on enhancing ocean health with its innovative technology.

Starting with the Galaxy S22 series in 2022, Samsung incorporated recycled discarded fishing nets — also known as ghost nets — in Galaxy devices. Since then, Samsung has continued to scale its use of this recycled material across all Galaxy mobile products,[1]  aiming to mitigate the damage that ocean-bound plastic[2] inflicts on fragile marine ecosystems.[3]

Now, Samsung is taking these actions one step further by joining forces the U.S.-based nonprofit organization Seatrees and the University of California San Diego to explore new, innovative solutions for reef restoration. The Galaxy camera technology provided to local coral reef restoration activists and researchers in coastal communities will aid their efforts to restore reefs impacted by climate change and pollution through improved monitoring of restoration success.

“We initiated our commitment to the world’s oceans when we transformed discarded fishing nets into key components of the Galaxy S22 series, which to date, has incorporated more than 150 tonnes of discarded fishing nets into key components of Galaxy devices,” said Stephanie Choi, EVP & Head of Marketing of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. “This year, we are furthering our commitment to the oceans by creating purposeful technology that helps protect and restore damaged marine ecosystems around the world.”

Together, with Seatrees, Samsung is giving new purpose to Galaxy technology to further innovative solutions that improve the health of the world’s oceans. The company is supporting non-profits and local community members working in Fiji, Indonesia and the United States with Galaxy technology to help restore coastal ecosystems. By leveraging mobile technology, these organizations aim to democratize and to create a more efficient process for coral restoration in reefs damaged by climate change, overfishing and ocean pollution, such as discarded fishing nets.

An Innovative Approach to Reef Monitoring and Restoration

Despite covering less than 1 percent of the ocean floor, coral reefs support approximately 25 percent of all marine life, making them one of Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystems.[4] Millions of people around the world also rely on reefs as a source of food, income and coastal protection. At the current pace of decline, reefs are at risk of disappearing by 2050.[5] To support the rapid development of coral reef stewardship projects globally, this initiative will provide advanced monitoring technology that leverages mobile devices as a readily-accessible technology platform.

While efforts to revive coral reefs have existed for decades, researchers are seeking new ways to improve this process. Scientists from UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and local communities use photogrammetry[6] to collect a variety of data — including photographs of coral — to analyze the health and growth of reefs. This allows them to then develop 3D models of the reef, helping researchers identify appropriate interventions that mitigate the effects of climate change on the corals.

▲ 3D model of coral reefs from photos taken by Galaxy

Accurate data is essential to researchers gaining a deeper understanding of how coral restoration efforts are affecting the reefs, and therefore help protect a greater number of reefs around the world. However, capturing accurate and vivid photos of coral reefs is not a simple task. Images can suffer from motion blur as divers swim over reefs capturing thousands of photographs, leading to less accurate data. Similarly, water absorbs warm colors like reds and oranges, also known as long wavelength light, distorting the accuracy of the captured images and resulting in photos that are darker and bluer than they appear to the naked eye.

Knowing that an accurate underwater camera is crucial to improving coral restoration efforts globally, Samsung collaborated to overcome these challenges by advancing Galaxy technology as a purposeful tool for coral restoration. Samsung developed a customized camera mode, called Ocean Mode,[7] made exclusively for this partnership. Ocean Mode optimizes the native Galaxy camera to ensure efficient and high-quality image capture of coral reefs while underwater. It reduces motion blur and optimizes the camera’s white balance to enhance underwater content capture, ensuring accurate photos are sent to researchers. This, in turn, improves coral restoration efforts through improved analysis of restoration success.

“Design and implementation of coral reef restoration need to be informed by reliable information about what works and what doesn’t,” said Dr. Stuart Sandin, Marine Ecologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Director of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation. “Mobile technologies offer an exciting opportunity to expand access to this information.”

“By building on technology that is both innovative and accessible, this collaboration has the potential to help bridge barriers and simplify the process for research and restoration, enabling more effective science-based stewardship at scale,” added Dr Eliah Aronoff-Spencer, Human-Centered Technologist and Director for UC San Diego’s Center for Health Design.

▲ Photos captured with Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphones equipped with Ocean Mode[8]

“This partnership represents a collective effort of people and organizations coming together to rebuild hope by restoring ocean ecosystems,” said Michael Stewart, Co-Founder and Director of Seatrees. “By collaborating with Samsung and UC San Diego, we can share their innovative tools to help local communities efficiently restore reefs at scale.”

Throughout 2024, Samsung supported coral restoration projects in regions that have suffered coral reef declines, including Bali, Indonesia; Viti Levu Island, Fiji; and Florida, USA and over 11,000 coral fragments having already been planted at these project sites. Committed to using technology for good, Samsung and its collaborators are united around a shared goal of restoring marine ecosystems and preserving the world’s oceans for future generations. Grounded in the spirit of open collaboration and by leveraging Samsung’s expansive scale, the organizations will continue to expand the initiative to more regions in the months ahead.

For more information about Samsung’s broader sustainability efforts, please visit our Sustainability Website.

About Seatrees
Seatrees restores and protects coastal ecosystems around the world to reverse climate change, enhance biodiversity, and support local communities. Seatrees uses a science-based approach to regenerate coral reefs, kelp forests, mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and coastal watersheds. Seatrees projects support local community restoration efforts and provide tangible ways for individuals and brands to create a more resilient planet for future generations.

[1] Recycled materials can be found in all Galaxy devices released in and after 2022.

[2] Ocean-bound plastic is abandoned plastic waste of all sizes (micro-plastics, mezzo-plastics and macro-plastics) that are located within 50km of shores in communities or areas.

[3] The amount of ocean-bound plastic used is different for each device. Please visit Samsung Sustainability website for more information.

[4] Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

[5] United Nations Environment Program

[6] Photogrammetry is the science of obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images

[7] Ocean Mode is exclusively supported for this project and is not available in products for general consumers.

[8] Galaxy S24 Ultra used underwater were placed in a waterproof underwater housing. Galaxy smartphones are not designed to be waterproof against seawater.