[I struggle, I am happy] This group of young people has built an artificial intelligence port.
Run without magnetic nails, accurately grab containers and deliver them to the designated place … … At the beginning of this year, the world’s first self-driving unmanned straddle carrier was born in Shanghai. Supporting its artificial intelligence technology is a young science and technology company, a young R&D team with an average age of less than 30 years old.
This self-driving unmanned straddle carrier was jointly developed by Xijing Technology and Zhenhua Heavy Industry. Xijing Technology gave it "brain" and "eyes". The "brain" is composed of using machine learning algorithm and combining it with hardware such as chips; "Eyes" are sensors such as cameras and millimeter-wave radars. In this way, the unmanned straddle carrier can simulate people’s operation behavior, drive autonomously and avoid obstacles in the port area, and can also independently detect containers, and complete container grasping, container crossing and container releasing with centimeter-level accuracy.
This group of young people named "Xijing Zhixing" have already achieved many firsts in the field of landing application of global artificial intelligence ports: cooperating with China Merchants Terminal to realize the world’s first port artificial intelligence tally system, and cooperating with Guangdong Zhuhai Port Group to release the world’s first unmanned container truck for port operation & HELIP; … They write the chapter of youth with pragmatism, innovation and hard work.
Young people in the alley
There is a Lixi Road in Changning District, Shanghai. Xijing Technology was established in May 2015, and a team was formed in January 2016. Residents nearby noticed that there were many post-80s and post-90s figures on the small Lixi Road. Residents also found that the office on the second floor of Building 102 often has lights on until ten o’clock in the evening.
Zhang Bo, CTO of Xijing Technology, told the reporter: "‘ Xijing ’ Taken from Century Shiban Street in Zhujiajiao, Shanghai ‘ Xijing Street ’ We are a native enterprise. The average age of team members is less than 30 years old, and more than 80% of them are master’s and doctoral graduates who have returned to China. "
Zhang Bo, 41, has been in the Communist Party of China (CPC) for 12 years. At Xijing Technology, he led this group of post-80s and post-90s to transform artificial intelligence technology from a laboratory into a global artificial intelligence port product.
In this process, excellent team is undoubtedly the key force for the healthy and rapid development of the company, and party member’s vanguard and exemplary role is the key. Zhang Bo told reporters that there are now 13 Communist party member employees in the company, and the number of party member employees accounts for more than 16%. Recently, the company took the initiative to set up a grass-roots party branch, and obtained the support and guidance of Changning District Government and Jiangsu Road Street Party Working Committee. At present, the party branch is actively preparing for construction, which will further gather strength and play the role of the party branch of non-public enterprises as a fighting fortress and a vanguard and exemplary role in party member.
Hard-working youth is the most beautiful
Xijing Technology started from the brain-like chip business, and since its establishment, it has always adhered to the road of independent research and development and design of "China Core".
In September 2017, the "Xijing Zhixing" Deep Learning Research Department, led by Dr. Zhao Zhao, a post-90s generation, realized "On-Chip Learning" for the first time in the world. Machine learning can be directly completed on the hardware side, achieving high efficiency and low power consumption. At the same time, the company’s latest generation of artificial intelligence chip "Deep Well" is also under intensive research and development.
Although the chip design team has rich experience, it still faces great challenges to set foot in a new field with frequent algorithm iterations. It took nearly a year for the team to complete the research and design of all the algorithms needed for the project, and then carried out a series of work such as IP replacement, functional simulation, layout and post-simulation. In December 2017, the "Deep Well" chip was successfully floated at one time, and the chip process was 28nm HPC+. It successfully ran through all application-level testing and requirements scenarios when it was first powered on.
While teammates were working hard for the independent "China Core", the singular product department of "Nishiji Zhixing" undertook the task of transforming the advanced research and development achievements of the laboratory into practical applications. At this time, Zhejiang Ningbo Daxie Merchants International Terminal released the demand for smart technology in the "circle of friends".
Tan Limin, CEO of Xijing Technology, noticed the development trend of artificial intelligence smart ports under the "Belt and Road Initiative". Facing the completely unfamiliar port industry, this group of young people bravely accepted the challenge, put on safety helmets and asked the dock masters for advice, and repeatedly understood the ever-changing front-line operation needs of the practice dock. Relying on a tenacity and solid scientific research ability, this group of post-90 s engineers worked overtime and produced results in just two months. In 2016, Xijing Technology developed the world’s first port artificial intelligence tally system and won the first commercial order. Daxie Wharf, the first one to eat crabs, has also tasted the sweetness, and its production efficiency, economic benefits and safety have been greatly improved.
Since then, the team has made persistent efforts to develop artificial intelligence solutions for the gates in the Customs Bonded Zone. In 2017, the world’s first artificial intelligence customs supervision gate independently developed by the company was launched in Qinzhou Bonded Zone, Guangxi.
Nowadays, the smart port system has achieved full coverage of intelligent tally from the gate to the dock bridge, and upgraded artificial intelligence for local operations such as smart tally and smart gate for multiple terminals, covering ports in Zhejiang, Guangxi and other places, customs bonded areas and shipping company yards.
Determined to do things, we must be able to bear hardships.
"What should be done on the same day should be finished on the same day" is a written military order issued by Xijing people.
Initially, the team chose a garage and parking lot in the suburbs of Shanghai as the test site. In winter, the cold wind in the suburbs is bleak. Zhang Bo leads the team to fight the problem in the environment of MINUS three or four degrees, and the stop in the parking lot covered with cinders is three hours. They turned the garage, which was originally filled with sundries by the owners, into a temporary studio. Without heating equipment, everyone stayed in the cold garage and just worked from 8: 00 in the morning to 2: 00 in the middle of the night.
Working overtime, staying up late and going on business trips are commonplace for them. On New Year’s Day this year, 90-year-old Liang Chisheng was on vacation in his hometown in Guangdong. He received the news that no truck had arrived at the customer’s dock in advance and drove to the dock overnight to complete the handover. When testing the automatic obstacle avoidance and emergency stop function of vehicles, Zhang Bo, as an old party member, volunteered to be the tester every time regardless of the danger. "I have confidence in you and will succeed." He often encourages team members like this.
At present, Xijing Technology is working with partners to develop the latest artificial intelligence application to solve the last "checkpoint" of terminal automation, and has also released related artificial intelligence document recognition applications for the shipping industry. Zhang Bo said that these young people of "Xijing Zhixing" have grown into the backbone of the global artificial intelligence port.