TCL sets up AI research center in Poland

Consumer electronics giant TCL Corp has set up a research and development center in Poland with a focus on artificial intelligence research, as part of its broader push to expand presence in the European market.

The R&D center will focus on AI-related sectors based on deep learning, such as computer vision, natural language processing and big data analysis, as well as carry out cooperation with Warsaw University of Technology and University of Warsaw to introduce top scientific research talent and strengthen the application of technical achievements in related industries, said Bartosz Biskupski, general manager of TCL's European R&D center.

"We plan to recruit about 100 to 150 employees for the R&D center within the next two or three years, and utilize the R&D resources not only in Poland, but also in Eastern Europe," said Yan Xiaolin, chief technology officer of TCL.

Yan said the center will be mainly engaged in three sectors, which include AI and big data, next-generation semiconductor display technology and new material, as well as intelligent manufacturing and the industrial internet, adding it is of strategic significance in TCL's global expansion and will further enhance TCL's capacity in technology innovation.

At present, TCL has nearly 8,000 technical research staff, 26 R&D centers and more than 10 joint laboratories around the world. Expenditure on R&D reached 4.72 billion yuan ($691 million) in 2017, according to the company.

Apart from the European R&D center, the home appliance giant has set up a research institute in Silicon Valley in the United States, and R&D centers in Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xi'an, Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. It has teamed up with tech heavyweights such as Google Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Baidu Inc in the field of AI.

According to IHS Technology, TCL shipped 23.8 million television sets around the world last year, an increase of 15.9 percent year-on-year. It ranked among the top three brands in the global LCD television market, with a market share of 10.9 percent in 2017.

Dong Min, general manager at Beijing consultancy All View Cloud, or AVC, said TCL has put an emphasis on the European market, and it is necessary to establish an R&D center and manufacturing bases in overseas markets to boost local sales.