Qualcomm and SenseTime to Collaborate to Drive On-Device Artificial Intelligence

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, and SenseTime Group Limited announced plans to collaborate on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for future mobile and IoT products. This collaboration will draw from the expertise of both companies in AI by leveraging SenseTime’s ML models and algorithms with Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ premium and high-tier platforms, which offer advanced heterogeneous computing capabilities for client based AI. The companies expect to drive the popularity and development of on-device AI in areas such as innovative vision and camera-based image processing.

Devices such as smartphones and connected cameras are becoming more intelligent with the proliferation of AI. Implementing AI on the device provides a number of advantages over cloud-only implementations, enabling edge devices to provide reliable execution with or without a network connection. Additional benefits of on-device AI include real-time performance, privacy protection and enhanced reliability.

“To develop an AI ecosystem, it takes efforts from players in multiple industries,” said Dr Li Xu, co-founder and chief executive officer, SenseTime. “The strategic collaboration between SenseTime and Qualcomm Technologies will advance on-device intelligence by leveraging our algorithm and Qualcomm Technologies’ chipset. Together we’ll push the envelope and extend AI to places that are currently beyond reach. Our strategic collaboration will become a turning point for the whole AI ecosystem.”

“Qualcomm has been conducting fundamental research in AI over a decade,” said Keith Kressin, senior vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “In fact, many devices shipping today using our Snapdragon mobile platforms already utilize on-device AI. We look forward to the results of our collaboration with SenseTime to further accelerate new and exciting capabilities of on-device AI for millions of customers using mobile devices.”

Currently, Qualcomm Technologies is focused on optimizing the Snapdragon mobile platform to accelerate myriad AI use cases in the areas of computer vision and natural language processing — for smartphones, IoT and automotive — and is researching broader executions in the areas of wireless connectivity, power management, and photography. SenseTime is a leading company in artificial intelligence and its applications. It plays an important role in deep learning algorithm innovation and has built a proprietary deep learning platform called Parrots. The company’s leading technology in deep learning makes it possible to innovate and develop a variety of algorithms with low cost and quick turn-around. SenseTime has made breakthroughs in algorithm model miniaturization. Its strategic collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies is expected to drastically improve the speed and efficiency of combining algorithm and chipset, making SenseTime’s AI technology more pervasive.

The first public demonstration of this collaboration will be showcased exclusively in Qualcomm Technologies’ meeting rooms at the Ritz Carlton (#23-26) during China Public Security Expo in Shenzhen, October 29 – November 1, 2017.