Sony and Microsoft are working together to make AI-powered smart cameras and video analytics easier to access and deploy for their customers. Sony will implement Microsoft’s Azure AI capabilities on the sensor IMX500. Sony will also create a smart camera-managed app powered by Azure IoT and Cognitive Services that will work with the IMX500 sensor.
Video analytics has become a major part of a lot of AI-powered enterprises, such as smart cameras used to figure out the inventory and to see what needs to be restocked. Smart cameras also come in handy when looking for hazards on the manufacturing floor in real-time which, in turn, saves people from going harm’s way. Such applications of the smart camera would obviously require capital, and also would require the optimization of computing resources. It goes without saying that it would obviously result in a cost increase.
Sony and Microsoft’s collaboration will also address these issues involved with the use of smart cameras. The collaboration also makes space for the integration of the company’s own AI models making the cameras more advanced than ever and bringing the overall cost down by a significant amount.
Sony’s smart camera managed app is targeted toward independent software vendors (ISVs) specializing in computer vision and video analytics solutions and smart camera original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). This will serve as the base for the allowed integration of AI from individual companies. The app will simplify key workflows and would work toward protecting data privacy and security.
The partnership will also allow for both companies to work in the categories of computer vision and video analytics as part of Microsoft’s AI & IoT Insider Labs program. The companies will commence working together towards achieving this goal sometime later this year within these co-innovation centers.
