LG Electronics Expands AI Home Into B2B; ThinQ Pro Makes European Debut at IFA
IT DAILY ·
✦ AI Summary
LG Electronics will expand its household-focused AI home business into B2B and first unveil ThinQ Pro in Europe for multiunit housing, buildings, and offices.
It will link Homey, acquired from Athome in 2024, with energy management systems and showcase AI home and high-efficiency appliances at IFA 2026.
It will also present energy integration functions linking AI appliances, HVAC, solar power, and ESS through Homey, along with the Fit & Max lineup for Europe and its high-efficiency appliance strategy.
LG Electronics said on the 3rd that it will expand its existing AI home business, which has focused on households, into the B2B sector. The expansion targets multiunit housing, buildings, and offices, and to support that move, it will unveil its commercial integrated management solution, ThinQ Pro, in Europe for the first time. It will also broaden the scope of AI home operations by linking Homey, the smart home platform company it acquired in 2024, with energy management systems.
In line with that direction, LG Electronics will showcase AI home and high-efficiency home appliances at IFA 2026, Europe’s largest consumer electronics trade show, which opens on the 4th in Berlin, Germany, local time. The total exhibition area for IFA 2026 is 3,745 square meters, and more than 150 products will be on display. LG Electronics will also present AI home at IFA 2026.
The AI home platform is ThinQ. In ThinQ, a view showing home appliances, IoT devices, and power usage status was unveiled. Photo courtesy of LG Electronics.
AI home is built around the AI home hub ThinQ ON and the smart home platform ThinQ. This structure works by controlling home appliances and lighting based on users’ schedules and lifestyle patterns, while also recommending functions as needed.
LG Electronics will also demonstrate ThinQ Claw, an action-oriented AI agent. Based on understanding user intent and lifestyle context, ThinQ Claw recommends and carries out needed functions, and it also offers links to external services such as calendars. LG Electronics unveiled ThinQ Claw at the end of August.
LG Electronics has linked Homey, from Athome, with the home energy management system (HEMS). Homey is an open platform that can connect and control home appliances, lighting, sensors, and more regardless of manufacturer, and it can connect with more than 50,000 IoT devices. The energy management structure manages energy production, storage, and consumption by connecting smart meters, solar panels, home batteries, and EV chargers to home appliances. At IFA, it will showcase a function that integrates energy flow management by linking AI appliances, HVAC, solar power, ESS, and other devices through Homey.
LG Electronics plans to expand its B2B business to multiunit housing builders and others, leveraging Homey’s business base in Europe.
LG Electronics is expanding the rollout region for ThinQ Pro, which it introduced in the North American market in February, to Europe and will unveil it there for the first time at IFA. ThinQ Pro is a B2B solution for multiunit housing, buildings, and offices, and it includes integrated management functions for home appliances, HVAC, and energy facilities.
LG Electronics will operate about 46% of its total IFA exhibition space as a business partner-only consultation area. This B2B consultation space is the largest ever in LG Electronics’ IFA operations, and the company will hold business discussions with corporate customers such as local distributors.
At the venue, LG Electronics will also display its Fit & Max product lineup aimed at the European market. The Fit & Max lineup has expanded beyond refrigerators to include washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers.
Refrigerators feature zero-clearance hinge technology, which allows the door to open up to 110 degrees even when installed flush against cabinetry, and lets the interior drawer be pulled out even when the door is opened only 90 degrees. The washing and drying products are designed to fit the 600 mm standard cabinet depth used in Europe.
LG Electronics presented product display and launch plans aimed at broadening the use of high-efficiency home appliances in the European market. It unveiled its European appliance strategy in advance, expanding its lineup of energy-efficient products and extending high-efficiency technologies from flagship products to more product categories.
The displayed washing machine cuts energy use by 70% compared with the A rating, Europe’s highest energy efficiency class; the displayed dishwasher cuts energy use by 30% compared with the A rating; and the displayed refrigerator cuts energy use by 35% compared with the A rating. A new dryer slated for release in Europe at the end of this year will be upgraded from the existing B rating to an A rating, and a new dishwasher excluding some entry-level models will also carry an A rating.
As exhibit items, LG Electronics also showcased the 2026 LG OLED evo AI, Micro RGB evo, and LG SIGNATURE home appliances. Baek Seung-tae, executive vice president and head of LG Electronics’ HS Business Division, said the company plans to strengthen its leadership in the global premium home appliance market through a more convenient and expanded AI home ecosystem based on AI appliances, the AI home hub, and the AI home platform.
Source: IT DAILY · Kim Byeong-ju
Original: https://www.itdaily.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=241381
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Source: IT DAILY
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