[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics has set up three artificial intelligence laboratories -- in the UK, Canada and Russia – which will serve as launch pads to take a big leap in the sector, according to the company on May 23.

The launch of the labs in Cambridge, Toronto and Moscow came after Kim Hyun-suk, head of the firm’s consumer electronics division and chief of R&D unit Samsung Research, said in a press conference earlier this month that the company would pour more resources into the AI segment in line with its goal to incorporate the technology into all of digital gadgets it produces. 

Kim Hyun-suk, head of Samsung Electronics’ consumer electronics division, speaks at an opening event of the firm’s AI center in Cambridge, the UK, on May 22 (local time).

The company has also vowed that it would increase the number of AI researchers at Samsung Research to 1,000 globally.

“With the new AI centers and recruitment of leading experts in the field, our aim is to be a game changer in the AI industry,” said Kim at the opening ceremony of the new lab in Cambridge.

The UK AI center will be led by Andrew Blake, a former director of Microsoft’s Cambridge Laboratory and a pioneer in the field of motion capture technology.

“Our research will help us to better understand human behavior, while exploring areas like emotion recognition, and further expand the boundaries of user-centric communication to develop AI technologies that ultimately improve people’s lives,” Blake said.

The Toronto center will be headed by Larry Hack, senior vice president of Samsung Research America, while the tech behemoth will tap renowned AI experts, Dmitry Vetrov, professor at Higher School of Economics and Victor Lempitsky of Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, to lead AI projects of the Moscow research team.

Some of the AI projects in the pipeline include the development of Bixby 2.0, the next-generation AI solution which will be first fitted in the Galaxy Note 9 later this year, and the integration of the new AI solution in home appliances, such as robot vacuum cleaners, washers and TVs.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)