After years of multiple rounds of technological competition, including the early intelligent warfare, fresh-keeping technology upgrades, odor-eliminating technology advancements, and the popularization of flat-embedding technology, AI, as expected by the industry, has become the new major technological hotspot. Large AI models are no longer just marketing concepts but have deeply penetrated core areas such as ingredient management, environmental control, and energy efficiency optimization, driving refrigerators to break through technological bottlenecks and open up new spaces for technological leaps.

AI-driven revolution in ingredient management: from "passive recording" to "active planning"

For many years, ingredient management was the biggest obstacle on the path to refrigerator intelligence. From hardware camera recognition to the reliance on users manually entering ingredients, none of these methods were satisfactory. The intervention of AI technology has brought about a qualitative change in this process.

CasaDi refrigerator builds a full-chain ingredient management ecosystem through the AI Smart Eye system and DeepSeek health model - millisecond-level dynamic recognition: equipped with patented millisecond-level capture technology, the AI visual system can automatically identify 210 types of ingredients and their locations, covering easily confused categories such as berries and leafy greens. When users store or retrieve ingredients, there is no need for manual input; the system automatically updates inventory information and generates nutritional profiles; intelligent health intervention: based on user health data, the AI algorithm provides personalized recipe recommendations and synchronizes shopping lists via the app; full life cycle management: the AI automatically tracks the shelf life of ingredients, sending warnings three days before expiration to avoid waste. At the same time, the AI algorithm automatically matches preservation modes according to the type of ingredient, for example, activating a low-oxygen, high-humidity solution for berries and initiating a deep-freeze rapid freezing program for meats, ensuring that the blood water loss rate of steaks after thawing is reduced by 60%.

Taking the Haier AI full-space fresh-keeping refrigerator as an example, after it is connected to the DeepSeek large model, it can identify over 1,300 types of food odors through a smell sensor and dynamically generate personalized recipes based on user health data. For instance, when a user asks "what to eat tonight," the refrigerator can recommend low-fat meals or children's nutrition plans based on the inventory of ingredients and nutritional needs, and even proactively adjust the temperature of the refrigeration compartment to extend the protein retention rate of steak. This "brainy and observant" interactive mode transforms the refrigerator from a tool into a "family health manager."

Hisense refrigerators, leveraging the Star Sea large model, have launched an "AI Food Manager" that precisely generates vacuum storage solutions based on a language large model; and through a multimodal large model, it identifies ingredients from multiple dimensions and monitors them in real time for dynamic regulation.

TCL Ice Kirin Deep Cold Series extends the freshness of fruits and vegetables to 15 days through the联动of AI algorithms and molecular magnetic fresh technology, reducing the blood water loss rate of steak thawing by 60%. The newly entered Z-Fresh from Dreame, with its AI nutrition management system, can intelligently control temperature and humidity, inhibit purine generation in high-protein foods, and recommend healthy recipes through an APP. Note: The term "联动" was left untranslated as it seems to be a specific technical term or brand-specific jargon that may not have a direct equivalent in English without additional context. If you prefer a more general translation, it could be replaced with "integration" or "coordination."

The AI technology of the Samsung AI Divine Refrigerator 9 Series supports automatic classification and status monitoring of 37 common ingredients, and has led to two major innovative functions: one is intelligent recipe recommendation, and the other is health intervention. LG has also introduced AI functionality, using AI calculations to match the optimal temperature and extend the freshness of ingredients.

AI has also become the key to resolving the contradiction between energy saving and high efficiency. Meiling's zero-embedded refrigerator uses AI to dynamically adjust the compressor frequency, maintaining a constant temperature while achieving first-class energy efficiency; Panasonic's Norwegian Sea series' Magic Temperature Conversion Space Pro technology covers a wide temperature range of -20°C to 12°C, with AI automatically switching modes to reduce cold loss.

At AWE2025, the comprehensive implementation of AI will transform refrigerators from "passive intelligence" to "active thinking," solving many of the previous challenges in ingredient management at one stroke. Although AI large models are still in their early stages, and there is a vast amount of space for interaction between refrigerators and users to be explored, the bottleneck that has plagued the intelligence of refrigerators for years has been broken. The expectation of future refrigerators becoming the central hub for household ingredient management is no longer out of reach.

environment control dimensional upgrade battle

AI landing applications, the various freshness preservation technologies of refrigerators are breaking through the single temperature dimension and evolving towards multi-parameter collaboration such as humidity, oxygen, and magnetic fields.

CasaDi continues to promote its signature MSA nitrogen-oxygen intelligent control freshness preservation technology, achieving a new standard of cellular-level freshness. CasaDi applies long-range cruise ship freshness preservation technology to the refrigerator field, achieving ingredient molecular-level freshness through the MSA nitrogen-oxygen intelligent control system; by reducing oxygen and increasing nitrogen, dynamically adjusting the oxygen concentration in the refrigeration compartment (reduced to as low as 0.8%), and increasing the nitrogen concentration to 99.2%, it inhibits the oxidation reaction of ingredients. Experiments show that after 7 days of storage, the vitamin C retention rate of lemons is 30% higher than that of ordinary refrigerators.

Hisense vacuum freshness 4.0 technology inhibits oxidation by intelligently regulating oxygen concentration, synchronously coupling magnetic field preservation to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables; Panasonic refrigerators maintain humidity at 92%±3% through a dynamic humidity control module, keeping asparagus fresh for up to 21 days; Dreame's Z-Fresh series ECO ultra-low oxygen constant freshness technology actively controls oxygen concentration, reducing protein loss in meat.

Fotile, in collaboration with Shanghai Ocean University, has miniaturized the nitrogen preservation technology used for high-end ingredients in long-distance transportation to household refrigerators. By controlling the golden nitrogen-oxygen ratio and using an active nitrogen generation system, it inhibits the oxidation of ingredients, achieving an "industrial-grade preservation" effect.

While shaping a fresh-keeping environment, odor-eliminating technology has also been comprehensively upgraded. The Siemens eNose intelligent sterilization system can identify 200 types of food odors and automatically initiates super-oxygen ion sterilization when odors exceed the standard, achieving a sterilization rate of 99.9%; the TCL Cold Pudding series predicts odor generation periods through AI learning of user habits and purifies in advance; these technologies mark that refrigerators are building a full-chain odor-elimination ecosystem of "monitoring-warning-handling."

Some experts say that from the perspective of environmental control, in the future, the dynamic regulation of gases such as ethylene and carbon dioxide in refrigerators may give rise to a "micro-ecological fresh-keeping system."

Flat Embed Competition: "Technology + Scenario + Ecosystem" Full-Dimensional Upgrade

At AWE2025, the flat-embedding technology of refrigerators has been upgraded again after two years, with technological iterations focusing on heat dissipation efficiency and space compression, while the design has also been comprehensively upgraded from functional adaptation to home art.

Casarte launches a 594mm ultra-thin body, solving the problem of traditional refrigerator door protrusion through centrifugal track-changing hinge technology, supporting 90° right-angle door opening and full drawer pull-out.

Hisense vacuum refrigerator continues the high-end aesthetic philosophy of Hisense refrigerators, adopting a pure flat full-embedded design that perfectly integrates into modern home environments. The bottom front vortex cooling system, paired with a fully dynamic dual-axis variable track hinge, significantly improves heat dissipation efficiency, achieving a seamless perfect embedding effect with no gaps on three sides and no protrusion on the front.

Aucma pure flat fully embedded series adopts a front-bottom heat dissipation path design, completely eliminating the side heat dissipation space, achieving an extreme embedding of "3 millimeters door opening spacing", while reducing overall energy consumption by 30%.

It is worth mentioning that the installation service for flush-mounted refrigerators is also being comprehensively upgraded. For example, Casarte has launched a minor renovation service, which through the upgrade of the vacuum insulation layer and optimization of the internal structure, can increase the refrigerator capacity in old residential areas by 200~300L, compatible with the original cabinet space.

In design, the design logic of built-in refrigerators is upgraded towards "invisibility" and scene-based segmentation. Aucma BCD-460WPGXZ adopts a cloud brocade gray glass panel and a press-type invisible handle, making it easy to clean oil stains with just one wipe; Casarte Connoisseur Series features a 15° inclined door and a 10cm plinth design, suitable for high-end villa decoration standards. Fangtai's high-end fully built-in refrigerator achieves an ultra-thin body of 575mm and a large capacity of 508L through thin-wing insulation wall technology, supporting direct connection between cabinet doors and refrigerator doors without the need for additional hinges.

The newly entered Z-Fresh series of refrigerators adopts a matte glass panel in Nordic style, supporting customization to match the color of the cabinets.

This year's AWE also saw multiple mirror-embedded refrigerators, where the refrigerator doors instantly transform into dressing mirrors, though they require frequent maintenance.

Refrigerators at AWE2025 have become more appealing, perhaps as foreshadowed by that self-introducing Haier refrigerator at the exhibition—refrigerators are evolving from cold, unfeeling hardware into understanding, warm "family members."