Samsung and Harman Mark 10 Years Together: "We Will Usher in an Era of AI Audio That Understands Users' Environments"

JBL's 80th Anniversary and Bowers & Wilkins' 60th Anniversary
Interview with President Rogers and CTO Prommersberger
Presenting a Vision for Connecting Technology and Human Emotion

Samsung Electronics and Harman unveiled a next-generation audio vision that combines artificial intelligence (AI) with a hyperconnected ecosystem to mark the 10th anniversary of their partnership. Their ambition is to usher in an “era of intelligent audio,” in which devices understand users’ locations and activities and deliver optimal sound.

“True innovation is not about devices simply performing more functions; it is about reducing the need for users to operate and manage them directly,” Armin Prommersberger, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Harman, said in an interview published on Samsung Electronics Newsroom on October 26. He described a future in which, instead of users having to open apps and adjust settings themselves, AI will understand their daily routines and autonomously tailor their sound environment.

Armin Prommersberger, Harman's Chief Technology Officer (left), and Dave Rogers, President of Harman's Lifestyle Division. Samsung Electronics.

“The audio experience should continue seamlessly from the moment you wake up in the morning, leave home, get in your car and commute to work, through your return home,” he said. “Harman, too, is working toward understanding users’ situations and contexts and creating personalized experiences.”

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Samsung Electronics’ acquisition of Harman, as well as the 80th anniversary of Harman-owned audio brand JBL and the 60th anniversary of Bowers & Wilkins. 2016, the decade-long partnership that began after Samsung Electronics announced its acquisition of Harman has gradually expanded from mobile audio into automotive electronics infrastructure.

In the early stages of their collaboration, the two companies successfully integrated the audio technology of AKG, an audio brand, into Galaxy mobile devices. They later expanded their collaboration to the automotive electronics business. Combining Samsung Electronics’ display and communications technologies with Harman’s expertise in in-car audio design, they built digital cockpits.

“Samsung Electronics has an exceptional ability to commercialize new ideas at scale and make an impact on the lives of countless people,” said Dave Rogers, President of Harman’s Lifestyle Division. “As we have learned how to turn our differences into strengths, Harman has also gained a faster pace and a broader perspective.”

The two executives cited quality and curiosity as enduring values their brands must uphold. “Products and technologies will change, but the impact we make on people will remain our constant standard,” Rogers said.

“The moment an engineer says, ‘That’s good enough,’ the problem begins. Fortunately, there are many people at Harman who are not satisfied with that,” Prommersberger said.

JBL and Bowers & Wilkins are leading brands that have driven technological evolution in the audio industry. Founded in 1946, JBL started out making professional audio equipment. It has since continued to expand into outdoor festivals, car audio, home speakers and headphones. The L100 loudspeaker, which adapted technology from the 4310 professional monitor speaker for home use, is a notable success story.

Since its founding in 1966, Bowers & Wilkins has focused on reproducing original sound. Its flagship 801 loudspeaker was adopted as the official monitor system by engineers at Abbey Road Studios in the United Kingdom.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.