Shanghai Yitu Network Technology Co., Ltd.
Yitu Technology
Native name
依圖科技
IndustryArtificial intelligence; facial recognition systems
Founded2012 (2012)
FounderLeo Zhu
Headquarters701 Yunjin Rd, Xuhui District, Shanghai
Websitewww.yitutech.com

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] 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 inked 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]

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.
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