Samsung to launch new laptop with offline AI computing capabilities

Galaxy Book 3 Series [Courtesy of Samsung Electronics]

Samsung Electronics is preparing to unveil an ‘AI laptop’ that will use artificial intelligence (AI) computation without requiring the internet or Wi-Fi connectivity and potentially hit markets as early as the end of 2023.

According to sources on Sunday, Samsung Electronics is expected to release a new laptop model, the Galaxy Book 4 Series, by the end of the month or in early 2024.

Sources said that the new laptop will come equipped with Intel’s next-generation processor, the Core Ultra. The processor, known by its codename Meteor Lake, is Intel’s first processor to incorporate a neural processing unit (NPU) which sits within the system-on-chip (SoC) tile.

One of its standout features is the ability to handle multiple AI computations even when the PC is not connected to a network. Earlier, Intel demonstrated the operation of a Meta LLaMa 2-based GPT chatbot solely using the Core Ultra’s NPU, without internet connectivity.

Samsung Electronics is expected to implement on-device AI technology using its in-house generative AI model, Samsung Gauss, within the Galaxy Book 4 Series. On-device AI allows for faster processing speeds and provides robust security by eliminating the need to transmit collected information to central servers.

But a Samsung Electronics official said that “nothing has been confirmed yet regarding the performance and release date of the Galaxy Book 4 Series.”

With Samsung Electronics pushing AI integration, the laptop market is expected to see a new round of growth.

HP introduced the Spectre Fold laptop with AI capabilities in October 2023, which includes features related to security, health, and gesture control that automatically adjust screen brightness based on user patterns.

The successive release of chips embedded with an AI engine like the integrated neural network or vision processing unit (VPU) in SoC is anticipated to further invigorate the laptop market. Taiwanese PC manufacturer Acer also recently revealed a prototype equipped with Intel’s new processor and Chinese company Lenovo is reportedly preparing to commercialize an AI PC.

LG Electronics is projected to introduce a new notebook equipped with an AI engine in 2024.