Why is Beko Prioritising Machine Learning and AI in R&D?

Beko is expanding its use of AI and Machine Learning in its Research & Development in order to better adjust to consumer needs.

The home appliances company is turning emerging science into a smart and secure home solution.

In doing this, it is working to anticipate how people want to live in a consumer-first innovative project. 

Unlocking potential

Beko is an international home appliance company, operating in more than 55 countries, with production facilities spanning multiple regions across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

The company has a portfolio of 22 brands, including Hotpoint, Beko, Defy, Hitachi, Whirlpool and Singer. It is the largest white goods company in Europe, utilising its 28 Research & Development (R&D) centres and offices around the world to expand its capabilities. 

Its R&D Centres operate across 12 countries, with more than 2,000 employees working to develop new innovations. The company is accelerating its technology leadership by designing new ways of anticipating consumer needs. It is implementing AI and Machine Learning (ML) to develop sustainable, smart and digitally secure home solutions.

These include AI-powered refrigerators and advanced technology which can preserve the vitamins in fresh food for longer. This will help reduce food waste and reduce energy consumption, as well as other benefits for the consumer. 

“Our ambition is to be a company that doesn’t just adopt technology but develops it and brings it to homes around the world," explains Nihat Bayız, Chief Production and Technology Officer at Beko. 

"By carefully balancing our short‑, mid‑ and long‑term innovation horizons, we can turn deep R&D insight into scalable solutions that stay ahead of evolving consumer needs.

"Whether it is AI learning how a family uses their fridge to save energy, or light that helps preserve vitamins in fresh food, our teams are focused on transforming investment into innovation that genuinely improves everyday life.”  

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AI-driven value

Much of Beko's growth comes from positioning R&D at the centre of its operations. As a result, it is able to go beyond deep-tech exploration in order to develop tangible solutions and features.

Its R&D centres create a strong and unified global network, with a distributed but connected model. As a result, engineers and design teams work cohesively to allow ideas to quickly evolve from early research to build-in solutions. 

These solutions aim to create real-life value in order to innovate the home appliances ecosystem. More than 4,5000 international patent applications have risen from this R&D work. Now, Beko has integrated AI and digital technologies into its core processes.

Its application of machine learning to materials research has allowed it to predict structural performance of its items. By also leveraging generative AI for a faster development process, Beko is maintaining an agile technical foundation in order to meet the evolving consumer demand landscape. 

Key benefits

The aim is to partake in 'anticipatory innovation' – technology which, according to Beko, "not only proactively recognises user habits before they occur but also addresses the core challenges of resource scarcity and product longevity." 

The technological development includes three main milestones:

• AdaptiveCool 2.0 - this utilises AI-driven algorithms which analyse household habits and environmental conditions. Following this, it can predict cooling needs and reduce energy consumption by up to 20%.
• Predictive Maintenance - through the use of real-time monitoring of internal components, the smart features can identify potential hardware issues in order to alert the user before disruption occurs, or the issue becomes an even more costly fix.
• HarvestFresh Technology - this technology utilises a three-colour light system to simulate a 24-hour sun cycle. Through this, it preserves vitamins in fresh products due to applied light physics. This keeps the food a higher quality and more nutritious. 

Through these approaches, Beko is helping consumers get more out of their products, both in terms of cost savings and food quality. Its implementation of AI and machine learning is allowing for greater value to be unlocked, with faster innovations in R&D.