Samsung Electronics has acquired an advanced AI technology start-up in the UK

Seoul (AFP) - South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics has acquired a British start-up that develops advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology, as demand surges for high-end chips used in AI hardware.

Agence France-Presse reported Samsung's announcement Thursday.

Oxford Semantic Technologies is focused on knowledge graph technology, a more advanced way of storing complex information in a network, Samsung said in a statement.

In the future, the technology is expected to be applied "not only to mobile devices, but also to a variety of products such as TVS and home appliances," it said.

Samsung did not disclose the value of the deal.

From generative capabilities such as writing text based on short instructions to simultaneous translation of phone conversations, tech giants are frantically racing to bring AI technology more fully into smartphones and other consumer products.

The acquisition of Oxford Semantic marks Samsung's latest move to strengthen its AI offerings.

Samsung Electronics is the world's largest memory chip maker, and its products include chips used in the top artificial intelligence hardware of industry leaders.

Samsung Electronics is also one of the world's largest smartphone makers, and its latest models, released in January, all use Samsung's own Galaxy AI technology.