Vivo Builds Five AI Institutes in China, the US; Chief Scientist Still Unknown
Liao Shumin | Liu Jing
DATE:  Jul 26 2018
/ SOURCE:  Yicai
Vivo Builds Five AI Institutes in China, the US; Chief Scientist Still Unknown Vivo Builds Five AI Institutes in China, the US; Chief Scientist Still Unknown

(Yicai Global) July 26 -- Vivo Communication Technology has set up artificial intelligence research institutes in four Chinese cities -- Shenzhen, Beijing, Hangzhou, Nanjing -- and one in San Diego in the US state of California, it announced today.

Zhou Wei, its vice president, will serve as their head. 

Their human resources systems and organizational structures have already been consummated, and their chief scientist will be recruited from among a pool of qualified candidates from around the world, online media Sohu Technology reported.
Shenzhen-based Vivo, a unit of BBK Electronics, is the first Chinese handset maker to establish dedicated AI research institutes, per the report. The firm's senior management internally announced the scheme at a strategic planning conference earlier this year to introduce a new entity -- Vivo AI Global Institute -- to drive the company's strategic AI project by conducting studies in related basic sciences.

Different research priorities and directions, ranging from knowledge mapping, natural language and machine vision to  development of future technology, have been assigned to the five institutes, sources claim. The five cities selected have the highest concentrations of AI professionals in the two countries.

Vivo has been recruiting the chief scientist worldwide since last year, and prospective candidates have been shortlisted. The winner will "be a leading global Chinese AI researcher," Zhou stated. The appointee, who must be an expert in AI applications, will help the company's products achieve breakthroughs in the field, a source close to Vivo told Sohu Technology.

Editor: Ben Armour

Follow Yicai Global on
Keywords:   Vivo,AI,Global Research Institute,San Diego,Chief Scientist