Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman and CEO Han Jong-hee speaks at a press conference in Las Vegas on Jan. 4, 2023, one day before the official opening of CES 2023. (Yonhap)
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — Samsung Electronics Co. on Wednesday brought attention to its efforts to make connected and sustainable homes a future way of life.
During a press conference held a day before the official opening of the annual CES in Las Vegas, the South Korean tech giant shared its vision to create a future where all home gadgets are connected and seamlessly communicate with each other to make people’s lives easier and more convenient.
“We recognize our vision is a big one,” Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman and CEO Han Jong-hee said at the event.
“It’s about solving real challenges today and understanding consumers’ future needs and aspirations,” he said.
Connecting each and every home appliance is not an easy task as electronic devices should support the technologies for connectivity and compatibility after all.
Acknowledging the difficulties, Han said: “It will take time, innovation and cooperation with partners worldwide. But we are committed to achieving it and already getting started.”
Jung Jae-yeon, executive vice president and head of the SmartThings, Device Platform Center at Samsung Electronics, shows the SmartThings Station at a press conference in Las Vegas on Jan. 4, 2023, one day before the official opening of CES 2023. (Yonhap)
Samsung has been serious in the realization of the vision over the past few years: It has gradually improved its SmartThings platform and been working with other companies to endorse the new smart home standard Matter.
At the event, Samsung announced the launch of the smart home hub SmartThings Station, the first Samsung product with a built-in feature to support Matter.
Samsung said the hub offers “simple, interoperable and dependable ways to connect a more significant number of devices” and “quick setup and compatibility with a range of smart home products including Matter devices.”
And the hub will help save energy and reduce climate impact, with features powered by artificial intelligence, such as SmartThings Energy and the AI Energy Mode, it said.
“Having a smarter home shouldn’t be complicated or expensive. So we wanted to create the SmartThings Station as a simple, reliable and expandable smart home hub,” said Jung Jae-yeon, executive vice president and head of the SmartThings, Device Platform Center at Samsung Electronics.
“The number of devices in a connected home continues to grow, especially in light of the recent Matter standard launch. We’re proud to play a role in making it easier to embrace this exciting technology,” Jung said.
Samsung Electronics Co. displays a banner on the wall of an exhibition hall at CES 2023 on Jan. 3, 2023, in this photo provided by the company.
As part of the efforts to realize its smart home vision sooner, Samsung has been pushing to make all of its home appliances Wi-Fi enabled and allow home devices from 13 different brands that belong to the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA) to be connected and controlled by the end of this year.
Samsung is a founding member of HCA, alongside domestic rival LG Electronics Inc., GE Appliances and the Electrolux Group.
The alliance was established in 2021 with the mission of providing consumers with more options within a safe, secure and interoperable connected home ecosystem.
Samsung said it plans to launch the SmartThings Station in the United States next month.
(Yonhap)
