Yitu Technology

Last updated
Shanghai Yitu Network Technology Co., Ltd.
Yitu Technology
Native name
依图科技
Industry Artificial intelligence; facial recognition systems
Founded2012;13 years ago (2012)
FounderLeo Zhu
Headquarters701 Yunjin Rd, Xuhui District, Shanghai
Website www.yitutech.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Yitu Technology, stylized as YITU, is a Shanghai-based artificial intelligence company that develops facial recognition systems. The company was founded in 2012 by Leo Zhu and Lin Chenxi. [1] Yitu's software, branded as Dragonfly Eye, is used by public security bureaus throughout China to identify individuals and vehicles. [1]

Contents

Leo Zhu, the company's CEO, received his Ph.D. in statistics from University of California, Los Angeles and conducted post-doctoral research at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. [1] Yitu is financially backed by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Sequoia Capital, and Hillhouse Capital. [2] [3] [4] Yitu's chief operating officer, Zhang Xiaoping, also serves as the chief investment officer of G42. [5]

History

In 2017, Yitu took first place in a contest for facial recognition algorithms held by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. [6] In 2018, Yitu partnered with Huawei to enhance its smart cities projects. [7] [8] The same year, Yitu established an office in Singapore and signed a deal with the Royal Malaysia Police for facial recognition software. [4] In 2019, the Chinese government named Yitu one of its "national champions" in artificial intelligence. [9] In 2021, Yitu withdrew its initial public offering application on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market following regulatory scrutiny and announced its intention to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. [3]

US sanctions

In October 2019, the United States Department of Commerce added Yitu to the Entity List for alleged involvement in human rights abuses in Xinjiang. [10] [11] In December 2021, the United States Department of the Treasury added Yitu to its "Chinese military-industrial complex companies" (CMIC) blacklist. [12] In January 2024, the United States Department of Defense named Yitu on its list of "Chinese Military Companies Operating in the United States." [13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lentino, Amanda (May 16, 2019). "This Chinese facial recognition start-up can identify a person in seconds". CNBC . Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  2. ↑ Mozur, Paul (April 14, 2019). "One Month, 500,000 Face Scans: How China Is Using A.I. to Profile a Minority". The New York Times . Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "AI Firm Yitu Said to Mull Hong Kong IPO After Shanghai Plan Halt". Bloomberg News . 2021-08-19. Archived from the original on 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  4. 1 2 "Malaysian police adopt Chinese AI surveillance technology". Nikkei Asia . April 18, 2018. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  5. ↑ Wong, Edward; Mazzetti, Mark; Mozur, Paul (January 9, 2024). "A.I. Giant Tied to China Under Scrutiny". The New York Times . Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  6. ↑ Mozur, Paul (2018-07-08). "Inside China's Dystopian Dreams: A.I., Shame and Lots of Cameras". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  7. ↑ "Mapping more of China's tech giants: AI and surveillance". Australian Strategic Policy Institute . 28 November 2019. Archived from the original on 21 January 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  8. ↑ "华为携手依图发布全景式人脸识别解决方案" [Huawei joins hands with Yitu to release panoramic face recognition solution]. Huawei (in Chinese). March 29, 2018. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  9. ↑ Dai, Sarah (August 30, 2019). "China adds Huawei, Hikvision to expanded 'national team' spearheading country's AI efforts". South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  10. ↑ Kwan, Campbell (October 7, 2019). "US blacklists 28 Chinese entities, citing their role in repressing Uyghur Muslims". ZDNet . Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  11. ↑ "China's leading AI start-ups hit by US blacklisting" . Financial Times . October 8, 2019. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  12. ↑ Sevastopulo, Demetri; Langley, William (December 15, 2021). "US to blacklist eight more Chinese companies including dronemaker DJI" . Financial Times . Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Pentagon calls out Chinese companies it says are helping Beijing's military". Reuters . February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
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