Samsung buys Oxford Semantic for AI-based user interface play
Samsung Electronics has agreed to acquire Oxford Semantic Technologies Ltd., a UK startup specialized in the application of graph theory to knowledge and reasoning. The value of the proposed acquisition was not disclosed.
The consumer giant has said it expects to combine Oxford Semantic’s graph-based reasoning technology with its on-device AI hardware to create personalized user experiences across the breadth of its consumer electronics; from mobile phones to televisions and home appliances.
Samsung’s move comes shortly after the acquisition of Graphcore Ltd. (Bristol, England) by Japan’s SoftBank Group (see Softbank confirms Graphcore buy).
Oxford Semantic was founded in 2017 by three Oxford University professors – Ian Horrocks, Boris Motik and Bernardo Cuenca Grau – and received investment from Samsung Ventures, amongst others, from 2018.
The company was formed to commercialize academic research on knowledge representation and semantic reasoning dating back to 2011 and produced an AI software engine called RDFox. Oxford Semantic has collaborated with companies working in the finance, manufacturing and e-commerce areas.
Graph theory
Knowledge graph technology stores information as an interconnected web of related ideas and process data in a manner similar to the way in which humans acquire, remember and recall knowledge and reason about it. RFDox has been used help understand how people think about and use a product or service. This, in turn, enables rapid information retrieval and recommendations.
Use cases for RDFox include recommendation engines, product configurators, integration of maps for autonomous vehicles and anomaly detection in financial transactions.
While knowledge graphs can be difficult to implement because of the computational burden of converting real-world data into graph representations Oxford Semantic has developed methods for achieving advanced reasoning both in the cloud and on-device.
Supportive companion
With the acquisition, Samsung gains software engines for personal knowledge graphs that can integrate information and context dispersed across multiple services and apps. This could be of benefit by helping turn a smartphone user interface into something more akin to a supportive companion.
Combined with on-device AI technology, such as that deployed within the Galaxy S24 smartphone series, personal knowledge graph technology could facilitate personalized user experiences while ensuring sensitive data remains secure on the device, Samsung said. The knowledge graph technology will be applicable across all of Samsung’s products, extending beyond mobile devices to televisions and home appliances, the company added.
“By integrating Samsung’s expertise in user experience and data with our advanced knowledge graph and reasoning technology, we will provide Samsung’s customers with even more sophisticated personalization,” said Peter Crocker, CEO of Oxford Semantic Technologies, in a statement issued by Samsung. “In addition, developing RDFox with Samsung, and being part of the larger group, will provide all of our clients with an even better product, service and support.”
“As global consumers realize their growing need for more personalized AI experiences, the acquisition of Oxford Semantic Technologies will further boost Samsung’s strong capabilities in knowledge engineering,” said Paul Kyungwhoon Cheun, CTO of Samsung Electronics.
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