Vietnam-based Bkav on June 17 officially announced its entrance into the surveillance camera manufacturing segment, and launched its new brand, based on its AI View technology.
Bkav, in cooperation with chip manufacturer Qualcomm, cites itself as one of the first manufacturers in the world to successfully integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into surveillance cameras. After more than a year of investment, the company has researched and developed 39 families of cameras, ranging from mid-range to high-range models. Bkav is partnering with Qualcomm to execute AI View projects in the US and Europe.
Nguyen Tu Quang, CEO and chairman of Bkav, comments, "AI applications are the tendency of the world, and AI integrated cameras will soon replace other traditional forms of this kind of device such as IP cameras, analog cameras, etc. As a leading technology corporation that has long operated in cybersecurity with 10 years of experience in smartphone manufacturing, Bkav has quickly developed breakthrough technologies in surveillance camera manufacturing, successfully integrating AI into cameras."
As cited by Bkav, according to MarketsandMarkets Research, the global surveillance camera market size is expected to grow from USD $45.5 billion in 2020 to USD $74.6 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 10.4%. Increasing adoption of AI and deep learning technologies across various applications is expected to help to provide opportunities for the market.
Tommy Le, Bkav's VP of business development, USA, asserts, "The United States is one of the two most exciting and fast-growing markets for surveillance cameras, while [many] Chinese products are banned in this country and in European markets. This is a great opportunity for Vietnam-branded products. To realize this strategy, Bkav cooperates with Qualcomm and OneScreen. We believe that with products of superior quality and competitive prices, Bkav will soon capture the market and become one of the 5 leading camera manufacturers in the world."
All Bkav surveillance cameras will be branded AI View. The company contends that its cameras are of "high quality and are available at reasonable price - 20% lower than products of famous manufacturers from Europe. In comparison with normal cameras, AI cameras help customers save costs on servers and transmission," adds a company statement.
"AI-powered image data processing will be carried out in real-time and right on the cameras, which means there is no need to transfer the data to the servers, thereby minimizing latency in information processing and ensuring user privacy," continues the statment.
Addressing the prospect of continued lockdowns globally due to COVID-19, Bkav CEO Quang concludes, "The pandemic is forecast to remain complicated for at least 9 months, with the total of COVID-19 infections worldwide likely reaching 17 million. In this circumstance, uses for our AI cameras such as social distancing, contact tracing, thermal detection, etc. will contribute to the application of technology in the fight against COVID-19."
In Vietnam, Bkav is among the best-known technology brands. The company is known for identifying flaws in well-known products like Google Chrome, Face ID for iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy S8 iris recognition, and others. Further, Bkav's antivirus and mobile security software boasts more 86 million of downloads worldwide, with more than 20 millions users in 234 countries and territories.