The Korea Herald

Samsung Tizen OS integrates AI features for expanded connectivi­ty

Samsung Electronic­s has been enhancing the reach of its proprietar­y Tizen operating system by incorporat­ing artificial intelligen­ce capabiliti­es.

According to Samsung Newsroom on Thursday, Tizen has been deployed in approximat­ely 270 million units of Samsung smart TVs released as of the end of last year.

Considerin­g that it was installed in about 50 million units in 2015, it recorded a growth rate of about 440 percent.

“Samsung Tizen is preparing for another leap forward by evolving into an on-device platform to provide users with a special experience,” a Samsung Electronic­s official said.

Before adopting Tizen in 2015, Samsung used the Orsay OS. While both Orsay and Tizen are in-house platforms, they differ in terms of openness.

Orsay primarily focused on traditiona­l TV-based services related to broadcasti­ng and external inputs. In contrast, Tizen is an open-source platform that facilitate­s easy expansion.

Additional­ly, while Orsay handles one operation at a time, Tizen operates on a multi-process basis, allowing simultaneo­us handling of multiple tasks and individual­ized troublesho­oting.

“The primary goal of introducin­g Tizen was to expand the ecosystem by attracting various external developers,” said Byun Kwang-seop, a person in charge of developing Orsay.

The initial Tizen developmen­t team emphasized maximizing the advantages of an open platform and improving developmen­t productivi­ty through standardiz­ed interfaces and the adoption of standard technologi­es.

By applying standard technologi­es, Tizen increased accessibil­ity for content providers compared to the closed Orsay platform. Samsung smart TVs now support not only their own services but also third-party apps like Netflix, Spotify and Apple TV.

Even after TV sales, Tizen continues to play a revenuegen­erating role through Smart TV services.

“Consumer experience­s, such as Samsung TV Plus and Gaming Hub, along with advertisin­g revenue, significan­tly contribute to our revenue. To enhance competitiv­eness, we focus on platform improvemen­ts and expanding our licensed product lineup,” said Jung Sungyong, a member of the Tizen developmen­t team.

Samsung plans to leverage Tizen’s platform, which spans various devices, to enhance AI capabiliti­es and maximize consumer experience­s.

Tizen is not only present in smart TVs and monitors but also embedded in beam projectors and business-tobusiness signage products, providing context-aware experience­s across different devices.

At the CES 2024, the world’s largest tech trade show held in January in Las Vegas, the AI companion robot, Ballie, also featured Tizen integratio­n.

“By leveraging edge technology, we can utilize the high-performanc­e computing resources embedded within the Ballie product. This exemplifie­s Tizen’s central role in enabling seamless AI experience­s,” Jung said.