Intel Unnati Lab to come up at CIIC for AI Training

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January 3, 2022

Crescent Innovation and Incubation Council and BS Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology have signed a memorandum of understanding with chip manufacturing giant Intel under the Intel Unnati program.

Dr. N. Raja Hussain and M Parvez Alam represented CIIC and BS Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology during the signing of the MoU with Intel Technology India Private Limited. Last year, Intel launched its Unnati program to set up 100 data-centric laboratories across the nation to improve research infrastructure and technology excellence among students.

Intel realized the increased demand for specialized workers in artificial intelligence, data science, cloud computing, IoT, and many other related industries and launched this program to meet the current market demand. It will hugely benefit students and faculty to gain the necessary knowledge and skills to enter the artificial intelligence domain.

This new contact will help increase the deployment of AI, ML, IoT, and Smart Mobility to students and startups. A new state-of-the-art Unnati lab will also be built in the CIIT campus under the newly signed MoU. According to Intel officials, the company is excited about this new contract as they hope to fill the gap between the market demand for skilled professionals and the number of produced trained workers in the country.

The MoU will also help build better infrastructure in the country for high-end research in artificial intelligence. Intel officials mentioned that the center would allow strips to test their technologies and develop solutions for real-world challenges.

Deloitte launched AI institute in India to Accelerate the pace of Innovative Research

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Dipayan Mitra

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January 3, 2022

Deloitte launches a new AI institute in India to accelerate the pace of innovative research in the region. The launch makes India the fourth location in the Asia Pacific region to have a Deloitte AI institute. According to the company, India is one of the major artificial intelligence technologies developers in several industries, and various companies have availed the benefits of the early adoption of AI solutions.

The launch also marks Deloitte’s statement, “AI will be a part of everything we do as an organisation.” The newly established AI institute is located in the capital of India, New Delhi, and it is the eighth such institute that Deloitte has launched across the globe since last year.

President, Consulting at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India, Romal Shetty, said, “AI is here and for India, it is an opportunity to leapfrog in a world where we connect the power of human intelligence with machine intelligence. We call it the Age of With™. There are inherent strengths that India can leverage.”

He also mentioned that the AI institute would help Indian companies and startups operating in multiple industries quickly adopt artificial intelligence solutions for digital transformation. The AI institute will integrate research and innovations for applications to establish a local artificial intelligence ecosystem in the country. Similar AI institutes have already been established in countries including the United States, United Kingdom, China, Canada, and many more.
“We will have exclusive partnerships with some of the brightest minds in the AI ecosystem. A dedicated AI team at Deloitte, along with domain and industry experts, will drive stronger outcomes,” said Partner, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India, Saurabh Kumar. He further added that they intend to bring their own business lens to help recognize bias and risks involved with various artificial intelligence technologies.

Halio to unveil AI-powered Smart Glass at CES 2022.

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Dipayan Mitra

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January 3, 2022

One of the world’s leading dynamic glass developing companies Halio, is all set to unveil its new AI-powered smart glasses at CSE 2022 as a part of its commercial net-zero building component. The event is scheduled to be held on 5th January 2022 in Las Vegas, United States.

The new AI-enabled smart glasses will be showcased in the ‘Green Avenue’ section of the event. Halio partnered with famous architectural glass fabricator Viracon to develop the smart glass. Furthermore, the company has also partnered with Marvin to provide smart glass in the residential housing market.

The smart glass uses cloud-based artificial intelligence technology for autonomous operation. Halio has meticulously designed the smart glasses to provide the best possible experience in terms of clarity, color tint, responsiveness, and several other related factors.

The advanced technology used to develop the smart glass allows it to pass the maximum amount of sunlight to enter buildings that helps in saving considerable amounts of energy and reduces carbon emission by nearly 20%, making it a highly capable smart glass.

According to the company, its new smart glass can play a vital role in controlling global warming while taking care of the wellness of individuals inside buildings by glare management. The smart glass can also be integrated with various third-party windows with a wide range of coating, making it a highly reliable and flexible glass. Its performance has also been tested, and the results show that Halio’s smart glass is extremely durable, which can hold itself even if window seals fail.

AI-powered Robots are taking over recycling centers in Finland

By

Srishty Bhardwaj

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January 3, 2022

AI-powered Robots are taking over recycling centers in Finland

A new recycling facility is being installed on the outskirts of Helsinki, Finland’s capital. A newly opened plant, owned by Finnish Company Remeo, can process construction waste with a volume of up to 120,000 tons, including wood, plastics, and metals. It has been entitled as one of the most advanced recycling facilities in Europe.

Approximately five tons of waste is generated by Europeans every year, but only 38 percent of it is recycled. Almost three-quarters of all EU garbage comes from construction. The limited information regarding the quality and content of the waste material makes it difficult to recycle. It is often impossible to recycle and reuse impure items as raw materials.

It is often a common practice in Europe, including Finland, to incinerate waste that can’t be recycled. Incineration plants generate power and heat but also add to the greenhouse effect.

The CEO of Remeo, John Mild, said that the entire recycling industry had been challenged because much waste goes into incineration. He believes that AI-powered robots can be helpful in this regard.

“These robots must identify waste objects on the belt itself,” says Harri Holopainen, Chief Technology Officer of Helsinki-based ZenRobotics, a company that operates around 35 robots across 20 countries.

Recycling is becoming more of a priority for various industries. Textile recycling will be promoted in Europe under an unnamed strategy scheduled to be adopted in early 2022.

Remeo’s Mild says that they have increased recycling rates from 50 percent to 90 percent using the new technology. These newly adopted robots are making a difference in the fight against global waste.

SenseTime relaunched its Hong Kong IPO after US ban

By

Srishty Bhardwaj

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January 3, 2022

SenseTime relaunched its Hong Kong IPO after US ban

The Chinese artificial intelligence start-up SenseTime Group relaunched its $767 million Hong Kong IPO on December 27, 2021. It had withdrawn its listing after getting placed on a U.S. investment blacklist.

The shares were priced at the bottom of the company’s range at HK$3.85 (US$0.49), which gave the company a valuation of $16.4bn. The shares of SenseTime closed at HK$4.10 on Thursday, giving the company a market capitalization of $17.5 billion.

China continues to churn out huge fortunes and massive gains for venture capitalists despite increased tensions with the U.S. and Beijing’s crackdown on tech giants. A blacklisting by the U.S. does not restrict SenseTime’s operations. Still, its inability to raise capital and reduce trading liquidity in the future may be affected by the lack of U.S. investors.

The U.S.Treasury Department designated SenseTime as one of the “Chinese military-industrial complex companies” on December 10 to develop a facial recognition program to identify ethnic Uyghurs. UN and human rights groups estimate a million people have been held in camps mainly for Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in China’s far-west region of Xinjiang over the last few years.

According to foreign lawmakers and parliaments, Uyghurs have been subjected to genocide since forced sterilizations and killed inside camps. The Chinese government denies these claims and says that the Uyghur population growth rate is above the national average.

As a result of its inclusion on the U.S. blacklist, SenseTime has denied allegations that it provided Beijing with facial recognition software used to oppress Uyghur Muslims in Western China. A spokesperson for the company previously said it “strongly opposed” the blacklist designation, and the allegations against it were unfounded.

Company founder Tang Xiao’ou, who holds a 20.8 percent stake in the company, has benefited from the IPO.

SCOUT expands US Navy Artificial Intelligence capabilities

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Srishty Bhardwaj

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January 2, 2022

The U.S. Navy is developing new programs and automating artificial intelligence operations into standard processes to manage the operational governance between warfighters better.

Following the celebration of Industry Day on November 22, Navy officials issued a special announcement to enlist vendors for conducting research campaigns. The program has been named “SCOUT,” and using this program, the researchers will analyze operational issues, improve tactical fighter capabilities, and develop decision facilitation technologies.

In addition to AI and automation, Navy researchers are looking forward to embedding machine learning algorithms dedicated to targeting recognition, natural language processing, sensor fusion, and decision support as potential technology solutions.

Daniel Cabel, ONR’s SCOUT lead, said that the SCOUT campaign will launch in the summer of 2022 and consist of two experimental tracks. While one will focus on technology scouting and finding new solutions to corporate problems, the other will collaborate with Navy personnel and industry partners to host sprint events. This will allow a faster decision process.

JIATF-South, the Navy’s Southern Command, will conduct the SCOUT’s first training exercise in the air and on the water to combat illegal drug trafficking.

According to Cabel, vendors have to develop creative and flexible technological solutions to meet SCOUT’s needs, and automation is the Navy’s new technology hallmark.

As a part of their border mission, the Navy’s ongoing efforts to develop unmanned technologies and autonomous intelligence systems to facilitate strategic decisions.

In addition, he explained that the Navy is not looking for “Universal” programs and technologies but for scalable solutions that could adapt quickly to any environment. The Navy’s entire workforce would benefit from a technical solution developed for JIATF-South.

SCOUT’s mission is to develop step-by-step tests for identifying operational problems and not solicitation requirements.

Telangana to introduce AI-Based machine for Quality checking Crops

By

Ishwarya M

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January 2, 2022

The IT department of Telangana state is now all set to introduce and implement AI-based quality control for crops or grains stocked at the state’s procurement centers. In 2020, Telangana became the first state in India to launch an actionable policy framework for artificial intelligence.

Following that, the AI-based crop quality control initiative further makes the state a pioneer for implementing artificial intelligence for public welfare. The AI-based quality control project is planned to be initially deployed as a pilot project in three procurement centers across the state, including Narayanpet and Kamareddy.

A model will help in determining the quality, grade, moisture in grains like paddy, red gram, and Bengal gram. After analyzing such parameters, a model will generate a wholesome report in a minute, giving a clear insight into the grain parameters. In the future, the model will also be enhanced to help in determining the quality of fruits and vegetables.

With this method, farmers can analyze the quality of grains independently instead of waiting for the approval of selection officers at respective procurement centers to examine and finalize the grade and quality of grains. An AI-based quality control model works by placing a few grain samples from a respective grain type in a tray that belongs to a quality control machine. The machine captures the picture of the grains in a 360-degree view.

Further, the images are loaded into the algorithm of an AI-based machine that instantly identifies the type of the grain and analyses the parameters like moisture content, size, color, immatureness, and presence of any foreign matter.

Since the report generated by an AI-based machine has a detailed analysis of chemical content in the grain samples, farmers can use such information to alter and enhance their farming practices. For example, when a report shows the presence of foreign substances like harmful insecticides or pesticides in grain, a farmer can change or reduce the fertilizers to yield better grains. The TSTS-ITE&C department of the Telangana government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with nebula innovations private limited for implementing a model for AI-based quality check of crops or grains at procurement centers across the state.

Peng Cheng Laboratory & Baidu Releases PCL-BAIDU Wenxin, a 100-billion-scale pre-trained language model

By

Srishty Bhardwaj

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January 1, 2022

Peng Cheng Laboratory & Baidu Release PCL-BAIDU Wenxin

A press conference was held on December 8 to announce PCL-BAIDU Wenxin (version Ernie 3.0 Titan), the world’s largest Chinese-language monolithic model and the world’s first knowledge-enhanced 100-billion-scale pre-trained language model. PCL-BAIDU Wenxin significantly improves more than 30 benchmarks in zero-shot and few-shot learning in natural language processing (NLP).

Using Peng Cheng’s Industry-Leading Cloud Brain II and Baidu’s PaddlePaddle deep learning platform, PCL-BAIDU Wenxin can have 260 billion different parameters than GPT-3. Besides addressing common model bottlenecks, PCL-BAIDU Wenxin also reduces artificial intelligence (AI) application development costs by eliminating the need for manual data labeling and reducing the weight of high-cost simulated data.

Wen Gao, PCL’s director and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said at the press conference that the large AI model is vital for continuing technological advancement and innovation and will enable more sectors to take advantage of AI. The development team at PCL-BAIDU Wenxin has introduced online distillation technology to accelerate the industrialization process, which boosts the model’s parameter compression rate up to 99.98 percent.

During the press conference, Baidu’s Chief Technology Officer and Director of the National Engineering Laboratory for Deep Learning Technology and Applications Wang Haifeng explained PCL-BAIDU Wenxin contains primary, general, and large models as a supportive toolkit and platform designed to support technological innovation and industrial development.

By combining Wenxin’s full-featured AI platform with Baidu’s artificial intelligence platform, a financial contract term analysis model can intelligently classify and handle hundreds of clauses in about one minute, which is hundreds of times more efficient than manual processing. China Unicom and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank have implemented Baidu AI Cloud’s intelligent customer service using Wenxin to enhance accuracy.

The creators of PCL-BAIDU Wenxin believe that it can solve significant language problems and lower real-world deployment thresholds, which will accelerate scientific and technological innovation and lead to the implementation of AI technologies on a large scale in many different industries.

Indian Army sets up Quantum Computing Lab and AI Centre in MP

By

Ishwarya M

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January 1, 2022

With the support of the National Security Council Secretariat, the Indian Army has recently implemented a Quantum computing laboratory and AI centre at Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE) in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.

The Army has mainly established such centers to strengthen the research and development in emerging technologies. Once the research is successful, it can be used by the armed forces to enhance the country’s safety. At MCTE, the Indian Army has also launched artificial intelligence centers with over 140 deployments that help the institution to embed emerging technologies with academia.

According to the official press release statement from the Ministry of Defense, the idea of the Indian Army’s involvement in technology and research domains like Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations happened during last year’s seminar on Electromagnetic spectrum and national security that was organized.

Following that, technology institutions that belong to the Indian Army were encouraged and permitted to invest in emerging technologies like AI, Quantum, and Cyber. “Research undertaken by the Indian Army in the field of Quantum Technology will help leapfrog into next generation communication and transform the current system of cryptography in the Indian Armed Forces to Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC),” the statement added.

Some of the critical areas the quantum research will focus on are Quantum Key Distribution, Quantum Communication, Quantum Computing, and Post Quantum Cryptography.

The initiative by the Indian Army not only enhances fusion between emerging technologies and academics but also helps in embedding artificial intelligence with military applications. As said in the statement, “By undertaking a multi-stakeholder approach incorporating Academia (such as IITs), DRDO organisations, Research Institutes, Corporate firms, Startups and Industry players, this initiative is an apt example of Civil Military fusion with Atmanirbhar Bharat a key driving factor.”

Artificial Intelligence satellite from China take ultra high pictures of Earth

By

Srishty Bhardwaj

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December 31, 2021

AI satellites from China take ultra high pictures of Earth

The Chinese have developed a highly advanced AI satellite to capture high-resolution images of the cities within seconds.

Chinese researchers have demonstrated that “Beijing-3”, a small commercial satellite that weighs around one ton, can produce images clear enough to identify a military vehicle on the street and determine what kind of weapon it may carry.

The Chinese launched the satellite in June 2021 to conduct an in-depth scan of the central San Francisco Bay area, covering approximately 1470 square miles.

In order to capture clear images of the Earth, satellites with altitude control mechanisms must be stable while taking pictures. General vibrations can blur images on many satellites that observe the Earth. In the Chinese experiment on Jun 16, 2021, the satellite was able to adjust the angle of its optical line of sight towards the ground as it passed over the US.

Due to the flexibility, the satellite could capture an area larger than any satellite could previously capture.

The satellite captures images at the height of 310 miles and a resolution of 50 cm per pixel, demonstrating its ability to capture images. At the same time, its body rotated at a speed of 10 degrees per second.

In a paper published this month in the Chinese peer-reviewed journal Spacecraft Engineering, project lead scientist Yang Fang said that China started relatively late on agile satellite technology but made significant breakthroughs in a short period of time.

The Beijing-3 satellite, according to Yang, would be the most agile and powerful Earth-observing satellite ever built. Beijing-3’s response is 2-3 times faster than that of the US’ WorldView-4 satellite, currently the world’s most advanced Earth observation satellite.

The Beijing-3 is built on a new platform known as CAST3000E, which will enable China to construct small but highly capable satellites in the future.