Chinese AI start-up launches groundbreaking chip

SHANGHAI - During a demonstration on Thursday, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) server the size of a laptop used 200 cameras to complete a real-time intelligent video analysis task -- matching the faces of several hundred audiences members with their previously provided photos with a 100 percent match rate, all within a second.

The AI server, developed by Shanghai-based YITU Technology, has computing power equivalent to eight NVIDIA P4 servers, with half the size and 20 percent of the energy consumption, slashing the construction cost by 50 percent and the operation and maintenance cost by 80 percent for data centers.

YITU's groundbreaking chip "QuestCore," offers a visual analysis performance two to five times faster than the similar products available on the market with the same power consumption.

"Generally speaking, QuestCore is the most intelligent and cost-effective video analysis chip in the world," said Lu Hao, YITU's chief innovation officer, adding that it is 100 percent designed and manufactured in China.

He said the SoC (System-on-Chip), the equivalent of a computer motherboard on a single chip, is conducive to improving China's IC industry and bringing down the cost of AI application and promotion for Chinese companies in fields such as security, healthcare, retail and AI city.

YITU has taken the top place in face recognition tests held by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the US Department of Commerce for three consecutive years.