Earlier this week, Alibaba announced the acquisition of Infinity, an Israel-based augmented reality startup. The details of the deal are unavailable.
Alibaba worked closely with Infinity in various areas including artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and computer vision since 2016. So, this acquisition marks a little change in their synergy. However, it signals Alibaba’s desire to capture the often elusive frontier of innovation.
In 2013, Alibaba invested in Magic Leap and opened a new research lab in China. The company then made its intensions clear that it planned on integrating futuristic AI into its e-commerce platform.
For chasing the horizon of augmented reality, Alibaba could not have picked a better partner. Infinity, founded in 2013, has a track record of delivering excellence to various sectors. Infinity’s flagship augmented glasses are widely used in gaming, retail, and the medical sector. It also provides softwares and plugins for 3D engines.
Infinity Finds a New Home
Soon Infinity’s R&D team will start working as a part of the Alibaba DAMO Academy. This academy may help Infinity spread its wings in the near future. DAMO academy recently received a $15 billion influx to create 100 million jobs by 2036.
In order to meet this goal, the academy works in collaboration with leading institutes, including the Tel Aviv University in Israel. Through these initiatives, Infinity promises to grow its focus on machine learning and video analysis has become critical to gaining a competitive edge between tech titans.
Alibaba’s competitor like Google and Amazon are investing heavily in research and development to capture the booming market of Artificial Intelligence. Its closest competitor Amazon has already launched a virtual AI, known as Alexa.
Alibaba’s acquisition of Infinity holds an indefinite promise for the world of augmented reality and AI.
