Wee Hoon, vice president of Samsung Electronics, introduces the company's Bespoke AI Hybrid refrigerator at the company's office in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics unveiled the industry's first refrigerator that utilizes artificial intelligence and semiconductor technology as a cooling power source in addition to conventional compressor technology, helping owners save on utility bills, the company said Thursday.

Introducing the Bespoke AI Hybrid refrigerator, Samsung said this product can reduce power consumption by 30 percent compared to first-grade energy-efficient products, saving around 30,000 won ($21) in annual electricity bills.

Refrigerators are one of the major power-consuming home appliances as they run 24 hours a day, and there is notably high consumer demand for reducing electricity costs. Reflecting this need, Samsung said it has developed a new type of refrigerator with a hybrid cooling system, where the compressor and semiconductor technology operate together — like a hybrid car — to achieve optimal efficiency.

"The Bespoke AI Hybrid is a refrigerator that combines Samsung's AI expertise with semiconductor devices to easily reduce energy consumption," Wee Hoon, vice president of Samsung Electronics, said. "We will continue to launch various home appliances that make consumers' daily lives more convenient by incorporating Samsung's innovative technologies."

Samsung said the product utilizes a Peltier element, commonly used in small refrigerators and water purifiers, which absorbs heat on one side and emits heat on the other side.

"Under normal circumstances, the AI inverter-compressor operates alone, maintaining consistent energy consumption. However, in situations that require a sudden surge of energy, such as during hot summer days with increased ice consumption or when adding a large amount of newly purchased food items, the Peltier element kicks in to provide rapid and efficient cooling," the company said.

The company added that using the AI Energy Mode of its Internet of Things (IoT) platform SmartThings, the AI algorithm built with machine learning can autonomously identify situations requiring maximum cooling, beyond simple door opening and closing and optimize the operation accordingly.