Sony and Microsoft have sealed an alliance to produce cameras incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, Zdnet reports on Tuesday . This concerns the new image sensor presented by the Japanese company last week: the IMX500. It contains a chip allowing processing to be carried out thanks to the artificial intelligence capabilities of Microsoft Azure, the cloud computing service.
12.3 megapixel chip
For the first time in the world, the IMX500 contains a 12.3 megapixel chip, but also a logic chip. The advantage of this process: the sensor does not need outside help to perform calculations in real time. It captures the image and processes it internally, thanks to memory and its processing power.
This technique is mainly intended for companies which will be able to benefit from new means of video analysis. Camera manufacturers and developers who are going to grab the IMX500 will be able to develop their own AI models and offer tailor-made solutions. They will be able to use the smart camera management application powered by Azure's IoT platform, Zdnet says.
New uses
Sony gave some examples of the use of its new sensor. It can thus be used to count visitors entering a room, to monitor a stock of goods in real time and to be alerted in the event of a stock shortage.
It is not the first time that the two giants, who compete in the game world, work on a joint project. In May 2019, they announced a partnership around cloud gaming. It was already the Microsoft Azure service that was affected.
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