导读：计算机视觉和视频分析是人工智能的关键，也是大多数前沿物理应用的基础，包括自动驾驶汽车、物联网边缘计算等。随着过去几年计算机视觉技术突飞猛进，多光谱成像技术等应用未来有潜力改变人们生活及工业发展。
2016到2018年，研究发现对计算机视觉技术公司的风险投资增长了四倍，其中投资中国公司占主导，三年总额超80亿美元。2018年中国投资总额达到了2016年的20倍，数据分析显示，把更多资本集中在更少的初创企业上逐渐成为趋势。这一研究成果也符合北京到2030年主导人工智能的目标，中国开始重视计算机视觉和视频分析在人工智能中的关键地位，未来五年预计国内会涌现更多计算机视觉领域的公司，并逐渐开始在世界市场占据主导。
作者 | Anthony J. Bradley
来源 | blogs.gartner.com
Our recent research shows that venture capital (VC) investment in computer vision technology firms has increased four-fold from 2016-2018 exceeding a total of $8 billion USD. We analyzed over 1400 deals during this three year period. Our analysis also indicates that Chinese investors investing in Chinese companies are dominating the space accounting for over 56% of overall dollars invested and 8 of the 10 biggest deals.
2018 investments by companies in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was three times the United States and almost 66% of overall capital invested. It was the reverse in 2016 when United States investors put four times more capital into computer vision than PRC investors. The data also shows that PRC investors pumped 20 times more capital into computer vision in 2018 than they did in 2016. And in 2018, the average deal size in China was nine times that of the US. So this isn’t about spreading more money to more companies but concentrating more investment capital in fewer start-ups. Although our data doesn’t include every single global venture capital investment it captures enough transactions to make this a clear trend.
This is evidence supporting Beijing’s goal of dominating artificial intelligence by 2030. I expect to see significant computer vision technology emerge out of China over the next five years and also anticipate that they will take a dominant positionin the computer vision and video analytics global markets.
It seems that PRC recognizes the pivotal position computer vision and video analytics plays in AI. Computer vision and video analytics are crucial artificial intelligence capabilities and are fundamental to most leading-edge physical business applications including autonomous vehicles, Internet of Things (IoT) edge computing, physical security, retail footfall and attention analysis, and smartmanufacturing automation.
Yes, machines have confused images of blueberry muffins with chihuahuas. But let’s not let that distract us from the remarkable leaps of the past few years. With advancements in convolutional neuralnetwork (CNN) machine learning and machine vision sensor technologies (e.g.,liquid lenses), computer vision capabilities are skyrocketing and for some useshave surpassed human vision. Computer vision applications around object recognition in poor visibility, multi-spectral imaging and rapid multi-object tracking have tremendous potential to change our lives and disrupt industries as the world slowly transitions to one where indeed, the walls have eyes.
For most of the data analysis underpinning this post I am borrowing from my very talented computer vision analyst Nick Ingelbrecht. In addition to geography he providesan overall analysis and a look at the data by investment stage and technology sector. His full research paper entitled “Venture Capital Growth Insights: Computer Vision” is available to Gartner clients. Gartner is delivering thistype of analysis on VC investments for a range of emerging technologies.
Comments always welcome.
原文链接：
https://blogs.gartner.com/anthony_bradley/2020/01/22/china-dominating-computer-vision-ai-venture-capital-investment/
