Even after the massive reveal of their comically leaked Galaxy Note 9 flagship device yesterday afternoon, global tech giant Samsung isn’t quite done making headlines this week. Though its Fortnite exclusivity deal is certainly making waves, reports of a $22 billion investment in new tech research is raising eyebrows.
Samsung’s lofty investment in new tech is big even for their standards. What makes this even more eye-catching, however, is that the budget set aside for their technological adventures is expected to be spent in the next three years alone.
According to Reuters-Global Times, Samsung is planning to send that impressive amount of cash down a few different roads. It includes far more than just mobile tech despite what was shown off at their event yesterday evening, with artificial intelligence being one of the key leads alongside research into components used in the auto and biopharmaceutical industries. Though, yes, they’re also sending some of that cash down the 5G mobile technology route, also.
We likely won’t get to the see the fruits of its labor for a long time yet, but those living and working in South Korea should see a hefty boom in the job market thanks to the 40,000 or so roles the cash injection is expected to create. Perhaps what’s more surprising, however, is that this kind of investment isn’t anything new for Samsung. This is still one of the biggest R&D budgets it has set aside, but only by around 6% over the last three years.
Like it or not, artificial intelligence, or AI, is here to stay. We’re seeing AI assistants from not only Samsung, but Amazon, Apple, and Google be a constant focus for them as they attempt to dominate every aspect of our lives. AI is already used in far more places and situations than many of us might expect, and Samsung expects to increase its amount of researchers to 1,000 across the board to boost that further.
