Samsung unveils plan for AI transformation across all devices

2026 will be Samsung’s “year of leaps forward” in its devices division as the company promises to bring AI to all its products.

Roh Tae-moon, Samsung Electronics’ president, CEO, and head of device experience (DX) division said in his new year’s address that the company “must organically integrate AI technology into all devices and service ecosystems in the DX sector”. “Through this,” he said, “we can leap forward as a leading company in AI transformation”.

This transformation, which the company has dubbed “AX”, goes deeper than just AI technology, according to Roh, who said it’s “a process that fundamentally changes our thinking and work processes”.

While Roh said he wants the DX division to make 2026 “a year of leaps forward”, there’s no indication of time scales for this pan-device AI roll-out – including if it will be completed in the next 12 months.

That doesn’t mean we can expect nothing from the company in terms of new devices, though. With CES starting on 6 January, just four days after Roh’s address, it’s strongly rumoured the company will be making some significant announcements. Given the mood music, there’s reason to think these may mark the first steps in his vision for a transformed DX division.

AI takes center stage in semiconductor business

Samsung has already been making hay from the AI boom in its semiconductor business and that looks set to continue in 2026. Jeon Young-hyun, the company’s EVP and head of device solutions (DS) division, claimed in his new year’s address that “Samsung Electronics is that world’s only semiconductor company capable of providing a ‘one-stop solution’”.

“Leveraging this strength, we will respond to the unprecedented demand for AI semiconductors and, together with our customers, lead the AI era,” he added.

In its Q3 2025 financial results, the company revealed its DS division had brought in 33.1 trillion South Korean Won ($22.9 billion) in revenue during the quarter, generating 3.6 trillion South Korean Won ($2.5 billion) in profit. This is a quarter-over-quarter increase of 19% and 6.6% respectively.

Most of this was driven by its memory range, with the HBM3E DRAM called out as being particularly popular “in line with strong AI demand”. Its Q4 2025 and FY 2026 outlook also focused on the potential for AI to drive revenue not only through the HBM DRAM range (which is already sold out) but also DDR5 and LPDDR5x, as well as high-density QLC SSD.

Samsung has also benefited from a deal with OpenAI to supply AI-focused memory for the Stargate project – a $500 billion joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle, SoftBank, and MGX. With hyperscalers also reportedly locking in multi-year deals and a boom in high-performance computing (HPC), this segment of the business will likely continue to be a solid stream of revenue.