Samsung to acquire UK knowledge graph startup to upgrade Galaxy AI

Samsung said on Thursday that it has agreed to acquire Oxford Semantic Technologies, a UK-based startup with knowledge graph technology.

The South Korean tech giant said combining such technology with its on-device AI like those on the Galaxy S24 series will deliver "hyper-personalized" user experiences while personal data remains secure on the device. The company didn't share the specifics of the deal.

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Knowledge graph technology stores information like an interconnected web of related ideas and process data similarly to how humans acquire, remember, recall, and reason knowledge, Samsung said.

This enhances the understanding of how people use products and services, which enables rapid information retrieval and recommendation, the company said.

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Oxford Semantic Technologies, founded in 2017, offers its technology in the form of its AI engines dubbed RDFox which can be applied to devices to boost their on-device AI capabilities, Samsung said, adding that it has been working with the startup since 2018.

The graphs offered by these engines integrate information and context across various services and apps, Samsung noted, which allows it to craft a user experience that is tailor-made for the user by becoming increasingly familiar with their preferences and usage. The South Korean tech giant said it plans to apply the engine on its mobile devices, TVs, and home appliances.

The introduction of Galaxy AI gave a much-needed boost in sales for the Galaxy S series in Samsung's latest entry, as hardware improvements for smartphones reach its limitations which has hampered growth in the premium sector in recent years. AI can be that new growth propeller, so Samsung will be looking to improve Galaxy AI further.

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However, while the popularity of AI is real, what kind of business models companies can find from it is still an open question. Subscription is a possibility, but Samsung will need to justify it with content and services. Additionally, AI improvements inevitably requires data collection which raises security concerns. On-device AI, by processing data on the device end rather than going through the cloud, has been proposed as a solution that concern. And who offers more devices than Samsung?