Samsung backs Perplexity AI with major investment

Samsung Electronics Co., the South Korean tech giant, is near a huge deal with Perplexity AI Inc., an up-and-coming artificial intelligence startup.

Perplexity’s advanced AI search and assistant capabilities will be integrated across the tech company’s popular devices as part of the deal.

The deal would see Perplexity’s AI assistant app and AI-powered search features preloaded onto Samsung’s handsets and integrated into the tech company’s internet browser. People familiar with the discussion say the two companies also discuss integrating Perplexity’s technology with Samsung’s in-house Bixby virtual assistant.

The South Korean firm aims to announce such integrations before the end of 2025 for its Galaxy S26 line of phones, which is expected to go on sale in early 2026. It would play into the trend of bundling Perplexity AI, which would be included as a default assistant choice for Samsung’s high-end mobile devices.

While discussions are advanced, some technical and contract details are incomplete. If developed, this collaboration would be one of the most significant AI alliances the phone company has made for device software.

Samsung backs Perplexity with major investment

Samsung is also a major investor in Perplexity’s existing funding round. Perplexity is nearing the close of its latest financing, which would value the company at about $14 billion and raise about $500 million.

The investment will allow the tech firm to reduce its reliance on Google’s services, which have underpinned some of the most important features it’s devices have relied on for years. It will also allow it to work with a wider range of AI partners. 

Perplexity has just signed a deal with Motorola to put its AI assistant on the new Razr foldable phone, representing the small startup’s first big mobile partnership. Samsung’s participation in Perplexity may drive its audience to millions of devices worldwide.

Samsung powers up AI assistants with Perplexity integration

If finalized, the deal could alter how millions of people use their Samsung devices. The tech firm’s AI assistant, Bixby, has failed to outshine its rivals, Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri. It would also mean potentially adding Perplexity’s powerful AI to Bixby, which would give Bixby smarter, more comprehensive responses, better search results, and the ability to engage in more human-like conversations.

The partnership is also a new sign of a wider trend in the tech industry: Companies are racing to turn consumer electronics and digital experiences into smarter wares with powerful AI assistants. Perplexity has also attracted speculation from Apple, Samsung’s arch-rival. Apple pitched Perplexity as a substitute for or supplement to Google Search or to the AI that underpins Siri.

Samsung’s approach mirrors Apple’s, which has built many developer connections for flexible new services. At the same time, buying up Perplexity and incorporating its tech could help the tech company cut dependence on a single AI supplier and offer multiple user options.

With the rise of increasingly powerful AI, collaborations like Perplexity and Samsung could define the future of mobile tech. In the next few years, our devices will get smarter, more intuitive, and more personal.

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