LG Electronics is speeding up its efforts to enhance its semiconductor capabilities as it battles with Samsung Electronics for dominance in the AI home appliance market.

On April 10, LG Electronics announced plans to expand its home appliance-specific on-device AI chip, DQ-C, to 46 models across 8 product families (based on domestic standards) by the end of the year.

The DQ-C chip supports AI control, LCD display driving, and voice recognition, and is specialized for operating systems in home appliances. The major difference is that LG Electronics has designed this chip themselves, unlike previously where chips were produced by semiconductor companies. After more than three years of research and development, the chip was first introduced in July last year and is currently deployed in five LG Electronics products, including washing machines, dryers, and air conditioners.

Although Samsung Electronics also equips its home appliances with its own AI chipsets, LG Electronics was the pioneer in this field. LG introduced washing machines and dryers with the DQ-C chip under the Home Appliance 2.0 series in July last year and showcased the actual DQ-C chip at IFA the same year.

LG Electronics’ semiconductor development is led by the System IC (SIC) Center, an R&D organization under the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The SIC Center designs semiconductors tailored to products, which are then outsourced for production through external foundries such as TSMC in Taiwan. The DQ-C chip, in particular, is known to be produced using TSMC’s 28 nm process.

An LG Electronics official explained, “Designing our own chips, instead of using generic ones, is to optimize functionality for home appliances. LG Electronics is the only company designing AI chips specifically optimized for home appliances.”

In addition to home appliances, LG Electronics is also focusing on developing semiconductors for electric and autonomous vehicles. Microcontroller units (MCUs), essential for controlling electronic devices, are a prime example. While a conventional internal combustion engine car requires 200-300 MCUs, an electric vehicle is expected to need up to 2,000.

In May, LG Electronics partnered with the Canadian AI startup Tenstorrent for semiconductor development. Tenstorrent has the legendary semiconductor designer Jim Keller as its CEO. LG Electronics is currently working with Tenstorrent to develop AI chips for smart TVs and vehicle products.