Samsung to buy French medical AI firm Sonio

The French artificial intelligence startup Sonio will be acquired by South Korean tech giant Samsung on Wednesday in order to improve its state-of-the-art medical diagnostic technologies.

Businesses all over the world are spending extensively in integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into their products as its application has surged in a variety of fields and businesses, including the medical field, in recent years.

According to a corporate release, Sonio’s acquisition by medical equipment manufacturer Samsung Medison, a subsidiary of multinational semiconductor and smartphone giant Samsung Electronics, would improve maternal care with AI-enhanced ultrasound systems.

“Collaboration with Sonio will bring together best-in-class ultrasound AI technology and reporting capabilities to bring a paradigm shift in the prenatal ultrasound exam,” said Yong Kwan Kim, CEO of Samsung Medison.

Public financial records indicate that Samsung will pay 126 billion won, or around $92 million, buying all of Sonio’s shares.

The agreement is pending regulatory clearance, notably that from France. Sonio will continue to have its headquarters in France after it is finished.

“In addition to close collaboration with Samsung Medison, as an independent company, Sonio will continue to advance medical reporting technology and diagnostic software globally, including for underserved areas in healthcare,” Sonio CEO Cecile Brosset said.

Sonio’s AI tech uses machine learning to enhance the accuracy, quality and analysis of ultrasounds.

Its Sonio Detect product, approved for use in the United States, helps analyse images of a fetus, including brain and heart structures.

The acquisition marks the latest move by Samsung to strengthen its AI offerings.

Samsung Electronics is the world’s biggest producer of memory chips, including versions used in top-of-the-line AI hardware from industry leaders such as Nvidia.

The firm is also one of the world’s biggest smartphone makers, and the latest models it unveiled in January are powered by its own Galaxy AI tech.