Samsung's AI chips might outsmart Apple and Huawei's NPUs

Samsung is reportedly on the verge of successfully developing its first neural processing units (NPUs), also called AI chips, according to a report from The Korea Herald. The new chips are expected to make their debut with company’s major smartphones that would set them apart from rivals.  

Currently, only Apple and Huawei have the neural chips on their smartphones. Apple introduced the NPU with its iPhone X, allowing it achieve features like facial recognition and Animoji.  Huawei, in turn, brought the NPU with its Mate 10 Pro that learns user’s habit over time.

Despite lagging behind its rivals, a “source with expertise in AI” told The Korea Herald that, “Samsung has already reached the technological levels of Apple and Huawei, but will come up with better chips for sure in the second half of the year.”

Samsung’s AI chips are said to be capable of performing more operations per second compared to Apple’s (600 giga operations per second) and Huawei’s (4 tera operations per second).

Additionally, the same source said Samsung will most likely unveil the capabilities of its new NPU alongside the launch of flagship Galaxy S9 on February 25, during MWC 2018.

Few reports suggest, Samsung is investing heavily in AI-related projects and is also collaborating with researchers from several South Korean universities to develop even more efficient chips than what’s present right now.