3 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Samsung nears wide-ranging deal with Perplexity for AI features
Samsung Electronics is nearing a wide-ranging deal to invest in Perplexity AI and put search technology from the artificial intelligence start-up at the forefront of the South Korean company's devices.
The two companies are in talks to preload Perplexity's app and assistant on upcoming Samsung devices and integrate the start-up's search features into the Samsung web browser, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The firms have also discussed weaving Perplexity's technology into Samsung's Bixby virtual assistant, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private.
Samsung is planning to announce the Perplexity integrations as early as this year, the people said, with the goal of including the service as a default assistant option in the Galaxy S26 phone line that is slated to launch in the first half of 2026. However, the specific details haven't been finalised and could still change.
The tech giant is also expected to be one of the biggest investors in a new round of funding for Perplexity, the people said. The start-up is in advanced discussions to raise US$500 million at a US$14 billion valuation, Bloomberg News has reported.
Samsung's Galaxy S25 Edge on display at its store in Seoul, South Korea, May 13, 2025. Photo: Reuters
The broad tie-up may help Samsung reduce its reliance on Alphabet's Google and pave the way for it to work with a mix of AI developers, similar to Apple's strategy for its devices and services. For Perplexity, the arrangement would mark its biggest mobile partnership to date and follows a recent integration deal with Motorola.
