Accenture Invests In China-Based AI Firm

Global systems integrator Accenture has taken a minority stake in a China-based startup focused on developing artificial intelligence technology.

Accenture Monday said it has invested in Malong Technologies, a Shenzhen, China-based company focused on developing artificial intelligence technology for retail manufacturing and business applications, and has signed a strategic alliance agreement with the company.

It is Accenture's first investment in a China-based company.

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Malong Technologies' primary technology is ProductAI, which allows visual product search and tagging. ProductAI uses artificial intelligence to recognize a product based on its visible attributes similar to how a human would recognize the product without the need for barcodes.

ProductAI has other use cases as well, including detecting defects in manufacturing, scanning baggage and analyzing medical images, Accenture said.

ProductAI has software development kits for Python, PHP, Java and C# and is open-sourced on GitHub. It is available as an embedded system or as a server appliance, with the software running on servers in businesses' home countries to comply with local security requirements.

Malong Technologies is supported by and in some cases has investment from several U.S. and Chinese companies include Microsoft Ventures, eBay, Nvidia, China's Tsinghua University and the China Textile Information Center.

In addition to Accenture's investment of an unspecified sum in Malong Technologies, the two have signed an alliance to jointly develop industry solutions and prepare go-to-market activities. As part of the agreement, Malong Technologies has designated Accenture as its preferred systems integrator and consulting partner.

Accenture plans to use Malong Technologies' technology to provide services to clients who need to recognize objects, including at the microscopic or X-ray level.

Accenture did not respond to CRN requests for further information by press time. A Malong Technologies spokesperson was not able to provide further information by press time.

However, Paul Daugherty, chief technology and innovation officer at Accenture, said in a prepared statement that Malong Technologies shows how far artificial intelligence has progressed in advancing computer vision.

"Our alliance and investment in them ensures that Accenture and our Applied Intelligence practice will stay ahead of the curve when it comes to offering clients innovation through AI and intelligent technologies, across industries and countries," Daugherty said.