Alibaba’s Damo Academy offers free access to 100 AI patents as part of China’s nationwide move to boost tech innovation
- The in-house research initiative of Alibaba will provide free public access to 100 patents covering image processing, video processing and more
- The licences will be included in China’s national patent scheme, which offers patents for use by smaller businesses at relatively low fee
For the first time, the academy will provide free public access to 100 patents spanning multiple AI application scenarios, including image processing, video technology and 3D visualisation, Damo said on its WeChat account on Friday.
The initiative was intended to give small and medium-sized enterprises access to AI technology at a significantly lower cost amid rapid acceleration in technological development, Damo said.
The licences will also be included in a national patent list published by the Intellectual Property Exchange Centre under the government of eastern Zhejiang province, where Alibaba’s headquarters is based.
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The national patent scheme enlists dozens of universities and research institutions to provide access to more than 6,800 patents for smaller businesses paying an annual fee of 50,000 yuan or less, to boost technological innovation in the country, according to Chinese media reports.
The move comes as China ramps up efforts to drive the development of AI, with Big Tech companies pouring massive resources into developing their own AI products amid escalating US export and investment restrictions on advanced technology.
