Lei Jun's Bold Assault on AI Models

The tech landscape is currently witnessing an exhilarating race in the development and deployment of artificial intelligence, particularly in the realm of large language models (LLMs). One name that has quietly yet assertively positioned itself in this competitive field is Xiaomi, a Chinese electronics giant best known for its smartphones and smart home productsOver the past several months, Xiaomi has ramped up its computational resources and research capabilities to push boundaries in AI model development.

Led by founder Lei Jun, the company’s approach has been methodical and strategicHistorically understated in its AI ambitions, Xiaomi is now making noteworthy investments in computational powerThese investments signal a shift in Xiaomi's operations as they prepare to deepen their foray into the world of AI modelingThis ambitious phase is marked by both internal organizational enhancements and external talent recruitment, signaling that Xiaomi is determined to make substantial progress in this vital technological domain.

In a significant move, Xiaomi established an AI Platform Department within its basic technology platform division in mid-November

Under the leadership of Zhang Duo, who has been described by Lei Jun as "the deity of Xiaomi," the new department is tasked with driving AI initiatives forwardZhang's seasoned experience in the tech industry positions him well to spearhead this vital aspect of Xiaomi's growth.

Adding to the excitement, Xiaomi seems to have enticed well-regarded AI developer Luo Fuli to join their ranks, potentially at the Xiaomi AI Laboratory, where innovative concoctions of algorithms and machine learning are borneLuo is especially lauded in the natural language processing field, particularly for his contributions to the DeepSeek-V2 model, which has captured industry attention for its efficient cost structure compared to comparable offeringsLuo's expertise could significantly bolster Xiaomi's pursuit of high-performing LLMs.

Under Lei Jun's guidance, Xiaomi has undeniably accelerated its LLM development efforts

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However, despite these assertive moves, the company has maintained a surprisingly low profile in the AI model spaceLast year, during a key annual address, Jun hinted at Xiaomi's commitment to embrace LLMs fullyThe Xiaomi AI Laboratory even formed a dedicated team for this purpose earlier in 2023.

Insiders have indicated that Xiaomi approaches the expensive pre-training processes associated with LLMs with cautionThe company champions a philosophy that lightweight models can outperform extensive models in specific applicationsTherefore, Xiaomi’s strategy concerning LLMs is more focused on “lightweight” and “local deployment,” distinguishing its approach from competitors who may prioritize larger-scale models.

As a reference point, Xiaomi’s LLM parameter count reaches into the tens of billionsIn contrast, other companies, like Vivo, focus their efforts on models that boast parameter counts of over a hundred billion

Xiaomi's emphasis on product integration rather than merely model scale reflects a unique positioning in the ever-evolving tech landscape.

Xiaomi's President, Lu Weibing, articulated this distinction further by pointing out that current "AI phones" on the market primarily leverage AI features rather than being fundamentally reinvented by themHe argues that a true AI phone would be one where the operating system itself is architected around an AI LLM, a future development that Xiaomi aims to achieve cautiously.

The perception of Xiaomi's ambition in the LLM space may not yet be widespreadWhile many smartphone manufacturers are showcasing the integration of AI capabilities at major release events, Xiaomi has opted to highlight its self-developed operating system, Powerful OS 2.0, during the launch of its flagship model, Mi 15, with less focus on its AI models.

Nonetheless, Xiaomi's advancements in LLM technology have been significant this year

In May, they achieved successful registration for their large language model, MiLM, a robust step forward in establishing a firm foundation for AI applicationsBy November, Xiaomi introduced the MiLM2 series, which features an impressive scope of parameters ranging from 0.3 billion to 30 billion—designed thoughtfully to cater to varying requirements across cloud, edge, and terminal settings.

Continuing with its strategy focused on lightweight models, the MiLM2 series sustains parameter counts primarily within the tens of billionsNotably, the MiLM2-30B variant is optimized for cloud application, excelling in areas such as instruction adherence, commonsense reasoning, and reading comprehension, even surpassing many mainstream competitors.

In terms of its overall computational capabilities, as of mid-November, Xiaomi's driving AI systems have amassed a total processing power of 8.1 exaFLOPS, placing them among the frontrunners in the automotive sector

The company’s aggressive data accumulation strategy has also paid off, with a collection of three million video clips—a number that is expected to grow to ten million by the end of the yearAlthough this figure is still significantly lower than Tesla’s staggering 100 exaFLOPS, Xiaomi recognizes the necessity to hasten its intelligent automotive developments to remain competitive in the evolving landscape of smart vehicles.

Xiaomi’s extensive ecosystem spans various domains, including smartphones, electric vehicles, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, positioning the company favorably as the AI model industry undergoes intense competitionAs other tech giants grapple with deploying effective applications based on their AI models, Xiaomi must ensure their ambitions translate into practical, impactful solutions.

As Xiaomi escalates its endeavors in the AI modeling domain, the race for AI application dominance intensifies

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