Megvii unveils latest algorithm training framework version

Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) firm Megvii Technology, known for facial recognition platform Face++, on Friday unveiled the 1.0 preview version of its proprietary open-source deep learning framework MegEngine, in a fresh move to close China’s gap in the AI ecosystem with the US.

At a meeting on AI, open source and productivity during the 2020 Zhongguancun

Forum, a sci-tech forum in Beijing, Sun Jian, chief scientist of Megvii and head of Megvii Research, unveiled the latest version of MegEngine, part of the firm’s AI architecture Brain++, that also includes a data management system and computer power dispatching platform.

The Beijing-based AI unicorn announced in March the open-source MegEngine, making it accessible to developers from around the world.

From the availability of the alpha version in March to the launch of the 1.0 preview version, the self-developed deep learning framework has gone through eight iterations, upgrading to 510,000 lines of codes from the previous 350,000 lines, Sun said. All of Megvii’s algorithms are trained and inferred through MegEngine.

Megvii’s move is seen to reduce the nation’s dependence on US-originated deep learning frameworks, especially as concerns mount over a technology split.

China’s proprietary AI frameworks have a long way to go before they can match their more popular US counterparts, according to Yuan Jinhui, founder of OneFlow, a Beijing-based firm specializing in developing AI infrastructure. Google’s TensorFlow and Facebook-backed PyTorch take the lion’s share of AI frameworks globally.

Multiple Chinese alternatives to US heavyweights that have been up and running have already proven to be unique in certain aspects of existing open-source frameworks. They are much faster or support functionalities unavailable on other frameworks, Yuan told the Global Times on Friday.