AI is the biggest trend in the world of technology and according to
Business Korea (via
SamMobile), SK Hynix is working on its “On-sensor AI” which integrates AI capabilities with image sensors. Samsung is doing the same thing in an effort to become the industry's leading image sensor provider. Currently, the Japanese company
Sony holds this title.
Samsung has already revealed its AI-powered Zoom Anyplace technology. It offers full-frame 4K
video recording simultaneously with an enlarged portion of that image.
Zoom Anyplace uses AI technology to automatically track subjects during close-ups. And Samsung wants to create “humanoid sensors” capable of copying human senses. The company reportedly has a roadmap that leads to the creation of AI image sensors capable of capturing unseen objects by 2027. With 54% of the global image sensor market last year, according to Counterpoint Research, Sony is the company that hardly carries the crown in the industry. Samsung comes next with 29% and SK Hynix slipped into the top five with 5%.
At its SK Hynix TechSummit 2023 event held last month, the Korean chip designer revealed that it had integrated an image sensor onto an AI chip allowing it to process data at the sensor level. Traditional sensors must send image information to the device's processor for computer processing. “On-sensor AI” is expected to improve image quality, reduce processing time and reduce power consumption.
Samsung held its Samsung System LSI technology day in Silicon Valley a few months ago. At the event, System LSI President Park Yong-in said Samsung must be a leader in this era of “proactive AI”, which includes leadership in generative AI, algorithms and high-performance technologies and long-range communication solutions.
The image sensor market, which contracted during the pandemic due to a drop in smartphone sales, is now riding a new wave of growth with demand coming from mobile devices, mixed reality headsets and other extended reality, autonomous vehicle and robot products. Samsung hopes the image sensors it integrates with AI will eventually be used to support mobile cameras found on its smartphones.
