Photo courtesy to Tencent AI Lab

Chinese tech giants are applying AI technology to farming, eyeing a significant leap in modern agricultural development under the meticulous calculation assisted by the cutting-edge technology.

Last December, iGrow, a team of Chinese AI experts led by researchers from Tencent AI Lab and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, won second prize in the world’s first ever Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge by remotely growing cucumbers in a greenhouse with the use of an AI system after a nine-month-long competition.

Photo courtesy to ITQB

The most attractive point about the competition was that greenhouse staff did the harvesting work and adjusted cameras and other electrical devices inside the greenhouse, but no human were responsible for determining how much water, nutrition, and light the plants received, because all of that was controlled and processed a deep learning algorithm.

The Tencent-sponsored challenge was held at the Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands. Microsoft’s Sonoma team beat out four other teams by setting a new record of generating over 50 kg cucumbers per square meter.

Besides, the application of AI technology can monitor and detect plant pests and diseases through image identification, and simultaneously help farmers improve sustainability at the farm, which has been applied by some modern greenhouses in regions along Yangtze River, according to iGrow.

Alibaba’s AI technology ET Brain has also shed light on fruit planting, such as orange, pear, cherry, and kiwi, helping farmers save 200 yuan (around $30) per mu.

Moreover, JD has established a 10,000-m² workshop for plants in Beijing’s Tongzhou District, which is the largest domestic planting workshop and is equipped with a lighting system that combines solar and artificial lighting.