Samsung Targets 800 Million AI-Powered Devices by 2026 in Massive Gemini Integration Push
News Summary
Las Vegas, Nevada (PST) - January 6, 2026 - Samsung Electronics announced ambitious plans to double its AI-enabled mobile device fleet to 800 million units by the end of 2026, representing a significant leap from approximately 400 million devices currently equipped with Galaxy AI features.
Strategic AI Integration Across Product Lines
Samsung co-CEO TM Roh revealed at CES 2026 that the company plans to double the number of Gemini-powered mobile devices to 800 million this year, marking one of the most aggressive AI rollouts in the consumer electronics industry. This expansion builds upon the company's successful deployment of Galaxy AI features to approximately 400 million smartphones and tablets in 2025.
Vision for Connected AI Ecosystem
The ambitious plan, dubbed "Connect Future," involves embedding artificial intelligence into virtually everything Samsung makes. Beyond mobile devices, the integration will extend to smart TVs, home appliances, and other consumer electronics, creating a unified AI-powered ecosystem for users.
"We will apply AI to all products, all functions, and all services as quickly as possible," TM Roh told Reuters, emphasizing the company's commitment to comprehensive AI integration across its entire product portfolio.
Google Partnership Strengthens AI Capabilities
The expansion primarily leverages Google's Gemini AI model, integrated with Samsung's proprietary Bixby assistant. Galaxy AI blends capabilities from Google's Gemini model with Samsung's own Bixby assistant, delivering features like generative text tools, real-time translation, content editing, and voice interaction.
Samsung's use of Gemini to power much of Galaxy AI gives Google a built-in audience for its language model, strengthening Google's position in the competitive AI landscape against rivals like OpenAI.
Market Impact and Consumer Adoption
Consumer awareness of Galaxy AI has surged according to Samsung's internal surveys, rising from 30% to 80% in just one year. This rapid adoption indicates strong market readiness for AI-integrated mobile experiences.
The strategic move comes as Samsung seeks to regain market leadership from Apple, which recently overtook Samsung in global smartphone shipments. Samsung is in a tough competition with Apple, which is set to dethrone Samsung in shipments for the first time in 14 years.
Industry Challenges and Future Outlook
Despite the ambitious plans, Samsung faces significant challenges from global memory chip shortages. A global shortage of memory chips—driven by the massive demand for AI data centers—is putting pressure on the entire electronics industry. TM Roh admitted that no company is "immune" to these costs, making price hikes for consumer electronics in 2026 inevitable.
"Even though the AI technology might seem a bit doubtful right now, within six months to a year, these technologies will become more widespread," Roh predicted, expressing confidence in the technology's mainstream adoption.
Broader AI Home Initiative
Samsung is promoting its AI Home project with a goal to have 1 billion AI-powered devices in homes within the next three years. This includes "Ambient AI" capabilities that automatically adjust home environment settings based on user behavior patterns.
The company showcased advanced features at CES, including Vision AI Companion for smart TVs that can provide recipe instructions for dishes seen on screen and send them directly to connected kitchen appliances.
Competitive Landscape
The announcement comes amid intensified AI competition across the technology sector. Google launched the latest version of Gemini in November, prompting OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to issue a "code red," pausing non-core projects and accelerating development, which led to the launch of GPT-5.2.
Samsung's massive device deployment provides Google with significant market reach while positioning Samsung as a leader in consumer AI integration, setting the stage for a transformative year in mobile technology.