Chinese AI chipmaker Horizon endeavours to raise $700M to rival NVIDIA

AI chipmaker Horizon Robotics is seeking to raise $700 million in a new funding round.

Horizon is often seen as potentially becoming China’s equivalent of NVIDIA. The company is founded by Dr Kai Yu, a prominent industry figure with quite the credentials.

Yu led Baidu’s AI Research lab for three years, founded the Baidu Institute of Deep Learning, and launched the company’s autonomous driving business unit.

Furthermore, Yu has taught at Stanford...

22 December 2020 | China

Baidu ends participation in AI alliance as US-China relations deteriorate

Baidu will no longer participate in the Partnership on AI (PAI) alliance amid deteriorating relations between the US and China.

PAI is a US-led alliance which aims to foster the ethical development and deployment of AI technologies. Baidu was the only Chinese member.

The loss of Baidu's expertise and any representation from China is devastating for PAI. Ethical AI development requires global cooperation to set acceptable standards which help to ensure safety while not...

19 June 2020 | Baidu

M3: Alibaba’s AI detects COVID-19 pneumonia in under a minute

M3, a medical web portal backed by Sony, claims Alibaba’s AI technology has allowed it to develop a powerful COVID-19 diagnosis tool.

The AI-powered tool is able to analyse CT scans for signs of COVID-19 infection to help quickly diagnose the novel coronavirus which has caused havoc around the world.

With heroic medical staff under more pressure than ever caring for the huge influx of people suffering with COVID-19 – in addition to all the other ailments they have to...

4 June 2020 | China

Shanghai uses facial recognition to help catch drug offenders

china facial recognition ai face detection artificial intelligence drugs

Facial recognition is being used in Shanghai to help catch individuals suspected of abusing pharmaceuticals.

South China Morning Post reports that Shanghai is testing facial recognition terminals in pharmacies that will verify a person’s identity prior to dispensing controlled substances.

Some legal medications can be turned into banned drugs. Cold and allergy medications, for example, often contain ephedrine which is a key component of crystal meth.

Any...

17 January 2020 | China

WIC: Baidu CEO remains bullish of company’s AI investments

robin li baidu ceo ai artificial intelligence investments driverless cars robotaxis connected

Baidu CEO Robin Li says he remains bullish on his company’s AI investments despite recent troubles.

This year, Baidu’s stock price has dropped 36 percent. Li used the Game of Thrones phrase that “winter is coming” following a first-quarter loss.

Baidu has since not only been asking employees to fly economy rather than business, and not to stay in five-star hotels, but even to reduce the number of paper towels and cups they’re using in the office.

AI...

21 October 2019 | Baidu

US adds Chinese AI firms to ban list citing abuses against Muslims in Xinjiang

china usa ai ban list ai companies tech artificial intelligence entity trade war

A collection of Chinese AI and facial recognition firms have been added to a US blacklist citing rights abuses against Muslims in Xinjiang.

28 Chinese firms have been added (PDF) to the “entity list” of the US government which prohibits American companies from continuing any links with them.

The US government said the firms were blacklisted for playing a role in the "implementation of China's campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, and high-technology...

8 October 2019 | China

Police in China will use AI face recognition to identify ‘lost’ elderly

china lost elderly facial recognition face ai artificial intelligence surveillance chinese

Chinese police hope to use AI-powered facial recognition, in combination with the nation's mass surveillance network, to identify lost elderly people.

The country's surveillance network is often scrutinised for being invasive, but the ability to detect potentially vulnerable people helps to shift the perception that it primarily benefits the government.

Public data suggests around 500,000 elderly people get lost each year, the equivalent of around 1,370 per day. About 72...

5 August 2019 | China

Baidu and Geely announce collaboration in AI technologies

Baidu has announced plans to strategically collaborate with Geely on the application of AI technologies to various fields.

Announced during this year’s Baidu Create conference, the companies say they will focus on areas such as the smart home, intelligent connectivity, smart mobility, and e-commerce.

Geely is a privately held global automotive group headquartered in the city of Hangzhou and is most well-known for owning the Volvo and Lotus car brands.

The...

8 July 2019 | China

China plans to launch a constellation of AI-powered satellites

China is planning to launch a constellation of AI-powered satellites, according to a state broadcaster.

The constellation will be 192-strong and called ‘Xingshidai’ reports China Central Television.

China intends to use the satellites for environmental monitoring, disaster prevention, and traffic management. AI will help to process images to avoid sending poor quality pictures back to Earth.

Xingshidai satellites will likely use China’s Julang-1 booster...

2 July 2019 | China

Tencent is bullish on British AI startup Prowler.io

Chinese technology giant Tencent has led a $100m (£78.4m) funding round for promising British AI startup Prowler.io.

Dr Ling Ge, Chief European Representative at Tencent, said:

“The UK is a global leader in AI and is increasingly becoming a focus for companies looking to invest in the sector. PROWLER.io’s data-efficient approach and focus on human-machine teaming really set it apart.

We are looking forward to PROWLER.io applying its AI decision platform to...

20 May 2019 | China