DJ Koh, president of mobile communications business at Samsung, holds up the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 smartphone during a launch event for the new product, August 23, 2017.

Samsung on Thursday unveiled its new Exynos 9 Series 9810 processor, a chip that may be used in its upcoming Galaxy S9 smartphone.

Samsung said the processor has new artificial intelligence technology that will enable devices to recognize faces, suggesting that Samsung will offer a new feature similar to Apple's Face ID in future products. Samsung's current smartphones offer facial recognition, but the sophistication and security aren't as advanced as Apple's.

Of note: While Samsung has used its Exynos chip in smartphones in the U.S. before, it has also often used Qualcomm's chips while shipping Exynos models of its smartphones in other global markets. That means it's possible Samsung's U.S.-bound Galaxy S9 won't have the new processor and might instead use a chip from Qualcomm.

The Exynos 9 Series 9810 isn't just built for smartphones. Samsung plans to use the chip in computers and in cars, though it didn't name any specific partners for the latter. Samsung's next phone is expected to be revealed in February.