Samsung Electronics is planning to apply its AI (Artificial Intelligence) platform called Bixby to its IoT (Internet of Things) development board called ARTIK series in order to change dynamics of ‘AI platform’ markets by forming an ecosystem that covers both HW (Hardware) and SW (Software) developers. Samsung Electronics’ Bixby has been pointed out that its competitive edge in ecosystems falls behind that of Google’s Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa.
It is expected that ARTIK series with AI platform will make it easier to secure competitive edge in markets than current IoT development boards. If number of sales of ARTIK series increases, it will also expand Bixby’s ecosystem at the same time. Samsung Electronics is planning to create an ecosystem with ‘virtuous cycle’ that raises performance of electronic devices and related parts and components by expanding ecosystems of ARTIK and Bixby.
According to industries on the 29th, Samsung Eelctronics’ Semiconductor Business Department is going to release ‘ARTIK Bixby’ solution in December at the earliest. Samsung Electronics is going to allow electronic device developers or outside manufacturers to freely use Bixby technologies through ARTIK series. ARTIK series is being used widely as education tools for electronic engineering departments of South Korean and foreign universities. Releasing ARTIK Bixby solution also opens up opportunities for electronic engineers, who are ‘future entrepreneurs’, to experience Bixby. Samsung Electronics uploaded its Bixby service to Amazon’s Cloud service and has Bixby service linked to ARTIK series.
ARTIK is a HW development board with AP (Application Processor), memory, connectivity chip, and sensor. ARTIK business is led by SSIC (Samsung Strategy and Innovation Center), which is a group under Samsung Electronics’ DS (Device Solution) Division with Semiconductor Business Department.
It is easier to develop IoT products and services when ARTIK is used. Some of ARTIK’s competitors are Arduino and Raspberry Pi. A new chip that is installed with various voice preconditioning technologies such as noise cancelling and microphone input will be added to ARTIK Bixby solution HW in order to support voice recognition.

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<Samsung Electronics’ Bixby platform >

Bixby is an AI voice recognition platform developed by Samsung Electronics and it came with Samsung Electronics’ strategic Smartphone Galaxy S8 that was released this year. Samsung Electronics is actively pushing Bixby in order to grab upper hands in AI markets and it announced its blueprint that will focus on applying Bixby to every products such as TVs and refrigerators.
It recently introduced Bixby 2.0 by combining its technologies and technologies from VIV Labs, which was acquired by Samsung Electronics in October of 2016. VIV Labs is a company that was established by inventors of Apple’s Siri. Bixby 2.0 performs more elaborate AI functions as it is installed with function that allows Bixby to learn on its own.
“Fact that Samsung Electronics is applying Bixby to ARTIK series indicates that it is planning to widely open corresponding platform to outside companies.” said a representative for an industry. “Many small electronic manufacturers or individual developers from all over the world can now develop AI home appliances through Samsung Electronics’ HW and SW platforms.”
It will be interesting to see if this decision made by Samsung Electronics will help Bixby platform to be expanded widely.
Samsung Electronics is drastically building up its AI business. It drastically reorganized research groups related to AI during its recent group reorganization. It combined CE (Consumer Electronics) Division’s DMC Research Institute and IM (IT and Mobile) Division’s Software Center into Samsung Research and established AI Center underneath Samsung Research. It recently acquired a South Korean startup company called Fluenty that has interactive AI technologies. Fluenty, which was established in January of 2015 by CEO Kim Kang-hak who used to work as Daum’s (currently Kakao) data analyst, has technical skills in machine learning and natural language processing. Its chatting robot program called ‘Fluenty ai’, which recommends appropriate responses towards questions, is its major service. It seems that Samsung Electronics acquired Fluenty in order to improve performance of Bixby and to expand its AI business.
Staff Reporter Han, Juyeop | powerusr@etnews.com