Samsung Electronics Co.’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered smart farm system is helping a Jeju apple mango farm reduce energy costs and increase yields.

When Maeil Business Newspaper visited the farm on Wednesday, where Samsung’s SmartThings Pro system had been applied, clusters of reddish apple mangoes hung beneath the ceiling.

The temperature inside the greenhouse exceeded 26 degrees Celsius despite it being late April.

Apple mangoes, which are sold at over 30,000 won ($21) each, are regarded as the highest-grade mangoes produced in Korea.

Growing such premium fruit, valued for its sweetness, texture, and appearance, requires precise control of temperature and humidity.

Despite the use of AI technology, the farm looks similar to any ordinary greenhouse from the outside.

Inside, however, it houses a system that automatically manages temperature, humidity, and energy consumption.

This farm represents a leading example of how Samsung’s SmartThings Pro is being extended to agricultural settings. The system tracks environmental conditions and device status in real time, serving as a model for integrated smart farm control and enabling centralized management across multiple farm sites.

Previously, greenhouses had to be manually monitored and adjusted, particularly for apple mangoes, which are sensitive to climate due to their subtropical nature.

Now, dozens of indoor and outdoor climate control units across the farms are operated through SmartThings Pro. The system’s Map View feature allows farm operators to check temperature, humidity, and air conditioner status across all zones in real time.

The most noticeable and welcome change for farmers has been the reduction in electricity costs.

In November, the farm replaced its conventional heaters with Samsung’s DVM S2 system air conditioners. Over the following four months, electricity bills dropped by more than 50 million won, a 40 percent reduction.

SmartThings Pro includes six energy-saving features: AI Comfort Control, AI Saving Mode, AI Pre-Cooling/Heating, Energy Inefficiency Detection, Rate Plan-Aware Control, and High-Efficiency Operation.

These functions allow the system to automatically optimize energy use based on real-time conditions.

“Installing SmartThings and replacing the heaters required a significant upfront investment, but at this rate of savings, I expect to recover the cost within two years,” the farm operator said.

The farm’s apple mango yield has also improved. With AI-enabled control over temperature at each stage of crop growth, the harvest period has advanced, and fruit damage has decreased.

Samsung Electronics plans to expand the application of SmartThings Pro from residential and commercial environments to agriculture.

The company emphasized that Korean farmers can now rely on a domestically developed smart farming solution, replacing foreign systems that have previously dominated the market.

[ⓒ 매일경제 & mk.co.kr, 무단 전재, 재배포 및 AI학습 이용 금지]