Наталя Хандусенко Hot News 22 April 2025, 17:52

Google paid Samsung “huge sums” to install Gemini AI on Galaxy S25

Google has another big problem that could affect the company's case in an antitrust lawsuit over Google Search.

In January, a deal between Google and Samsung began, even before the launch of the Galaxy S25 series. According to it, the Gemini AI assistant will be present by default on Samsung flagships. The agreement is designed for at least two years with a possible extension in 2028. It is likely that all Samsung Galaxy flagships that will be released on the market during the term of the contract will have Gemini AI pre-installed, writes BGR.

“Google has agreed with its partner, Samsung, to pay a huge amount of money in the form of a fixed monthly payment, as well as additional payments, activation bonuses and payments from advertising revenue,” Justice Department attorney David Dahlquist said in court on Monday.

Dahlquist did not give specific figures, but said the deal between Google and Samsung was "remarkably similar to contracts that the court had previously ruled illegal."

The case involves Google paying Apple $20 billion a year to make Google Search the default search engine on the iPhone, just one of the findings in an antitrust case over the company's search engine that will be concluded this year.

This cannot mean that Google is paying Samsung amounts similar to Apple's payments. But on the other hand, the initial agreements between Google and Apple were much smaller, and in recent years they have grown to $20 billion. For example, in 2023, it was reported to be about $18 billion per year .

The Justice Department is urging the court not to ignore Google's new agreements with Gemini artificial intelligence when considering the legal remedies Google will have to apply to stop being a search engine monopoly.

On Sunday, Google published a blog post defending its monopoly on Google search, where the company also touched on the topic of AI, arguing that any action against Gemini would stifle American innovation.

“The Justice Department’s proposal would also prevent us from developing AI, and a government-appointed committee would regulate the design and development of our products. This would stifle American innovation at a critical time. We are in a fiercely competitive global race with China for the next generation of technological leadership, and Google is at the forefront of American companies making scientific and technological breakthroughs,” the company assures.

Recall that on April 16, a US federal court found that Google illegally monopolized online advertising markets . The decision could allow prosecutors to demand the division of Google's advertising products.