Recently, Xu Li, chairman and CEO of SenseTime, published an internal letter titled "SenseTime starts again on its 10th anniversary: focused focus, unity of knowledge and action", looking forward to AGI and the next decade.
On the occasion of SenseTime's tenth anniversary, Xu Li mentioned for the first time in his letter the company's newly established trinity strategy of "large devices - large models - applications".
The core of this strategy is to realize the seamless integration of large computing devices (SCO), large models and applications (CNI), drive models with applications, and drive optimization of computing power with models, aiming to improve computing power through order-of-magnitude optimization. Utilize resources efficiently and serve customers well.
It is reported that the trinity strategy of "large device-large model-application" was proposed in the context of the AI 2.0 era. The AI 2.0 era, also known as the generative large model AI era, is characterized by the fact that the cost of model production mainly lies in the investment of computing resources. As the scaling law is verified in large language models, multi-modal models, video generation models, and slow thinking reasoning processes, the cost of producing and using large models can be directly equivalent to the consumption of computing resources.
Xu Li believes that the main cost of model production in the AI 1.0 era lies in the investment of R&D personnel, while in the AI 2.0 era, the main cost of model production lies in the investment of computing resources. The popularization and commercialization of SenseTime technology needs to be committed to reducing the production and use costs of large models, combining large model iteration and optimizing computing power, and at the same time iterating large model design and application based on the characteristics of computing power resources.
In the traditional AI field, SenseTime will make full use of its core capabilities in visual perception and multi-modal models, pool resources, clarify directions, and serve both domestic and international markets through a set of R&D investments. The implementation of this strategy will help SenseTime continue to maintain its leading position in the field of AI and achieve greater breakthroughs in the AI 2.0 era.
This strategy of SenseTime also reflects the company’s deep insight into future AI development trends. As AI technology continues to mature, SenseTime is using its forward-looking layout to foreshadow several key trends in the future of Chinese AI companies, including technological integration and innovation, equal emphasis on ethics and responsibility, and internationalization strategies. These trends will not only promote the development of SenseTime, but will also have a profound impact on the AI industry in China and around the world.
In addition, in order to adapt to the new strategy, SenseTime will build a more centralized and efficient organizational structure, promote the concentration and intensive investment of resources, and accelerate the rejuvenation process of organization and management. This indicates that SenseTime will also make corresponding adjustments at the organizational level to support the realization of its strategic goals.
Xu Li emphasized in the letter that SenseTime will continue to build AI infrastructure and large models, and is committed to developing an innovative and stable ecosystem. The company will establish a cooperation network with various industries, academia and governments to leverage the positive impact of AI internationally. SenseTime's goal is to become a leading infrastructure provider with a comprehensive understanding of artificial intelligence models in the AI 2.0 era, and also an artificial intelligence model provider that utilizes the best infrastructure in the most effective way.
Founded in 2014, SenseTime is an artificial intelligence software company founded by Professor Tang Xiaoou, an AI scientist who came out of the Multimedia Laboratory of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. This laboratory has been praised by Nvidia CEO Huang Jensen as one of the top ten AI pioneer laboratories in the world, and is the only laboratory selected in Asia.
Since then, SenseTime has shouldered the historical mission of promoting the advancement of AI technology.
Initially, SenseTime, together with Yuncong, Megvii, and Yitu, were known as the “Four Little Dragons of CV” and occupied a place in the field of Computer Vision (CV). However, with the development of technology, SenseTime has not been satisfied with this. Instead, it has actively transformed and invested in the broader field of generative AI, determined to achieve the goal of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
In March 2023, SenseTime announced that its vision and strategic goals have changed from "using artificial intelligence to connect the physical and digital worlds, promote the sustainable development of social productivity, and bring people a better life experience that combines virtual and real things" to "Taking AGI as a core strategic goal, we hope to achieve major breakthroughs in AGI technology in the next few years." This transformation marks that SenseTime is no longer just an AI company focusing on a certain vertical field, but is moving towards becoming the world's leading AI platform company.
In 2024, SenseTime will usher in the important moment of its tenth anniversary. As the world's leading AI technology company, SenseTime has experienced leapfrog development from computer vision (CV) to generative AI in the past decade. It successfully listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and became China's first listed AI software company.
Public financial reports show that in the first half of 2024, SenseTime achieved total revenue of 1.739 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 21.4%. Among the three major businesses, generative AI revenue was 1.051 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 255.7%, becoming the company's leading business. Driven by the generative AI craze, SenseTime's stock price has risen by about 30% this year, showing the market's positive response to SenseTime's new strategy.
This time, Xu Li’s letter to all employees not only conveys SenseTime’s clear plans for the future, but also reflects the company’s deep understanding of the development of AI technology and keen grasp of industry trends. With the continuous advancement of AI technology and the continuous expansion of application scenarios, SenseTime is expected to achieve greater development and breakthroughs in the next ten years.