36Kr｜Deepthink raises 50 million for AI night vision products promotion worldwide

36Kr learned that AI enhanced night vision company “Shenzhi Future” recently completed a round of A+ financing of tens of millions of RMB, which was invested by Jingtai Capital. The financing funds will be used for technology research and development and global market development. Previously, Shenzhi Future has completed several rounds of financing from institutions such as Meihua Venture Capital, Dachen Capital, and Guohong Jiaxin.

Shenzhi Future was founded in 2017 and is a company that 36Kr has been paying attention to for a long time (attached link). The main technical barrier is to achieve full-color and high-definition presentation of night images through neural network AI ISP software algorithms. Since the last round of financing, Shenzhi Future has launched complete hardware products, including mounted night vision cameras, handheld night vision cameras and observation mirrors adapted to DJI industrial drones, and is currently mainly aimed at B-end scenarios.

From micro-light diodes to thermal imaging, humans have long been exploring night vision technology and applications. “We have been observing the changes in night vision technology routes overseas. Through related activities and exchanges, we can find that China’s night vision technology has achieved a leading position compared to Israel and the United States.” Zhang Qining, founder of Shenzhi Future, said.

Different from traditional night vision solutions, Shenzhi Future uses a self-developed AI-ISP imaging engine, combined with computer vision, deep learning convolutional network and other technologies, through signal enhancement, image noise reduction, etc., to achieve real-time full-color detailed imaging at extremely low illumination (0.0001lux).

In terms of the market, Shenzhi Future has achieved large-scale commercial use of AI night vision enhancement technology. After preliminary business exploration, in the field of drones, Shenzhi Future’s drone-mounted cameras have been shipped on a large scale through mature channels. At the same time, Shenzhi Future plans to continue to promote the versatility of mounted cameras and adapt to more drone models. In the automotive field, Shenzhi Future has jointly carried out relevant research and development with domestic first-tier host manufacturers to promote the application of night vision modules on vehicles.

In addition to the “machine eye” used in drones, smart cars and other scenarios, Shenzhi Future is exploring and releasing a smaller and more portable handheld night vision product series in stages to meet consumer-level needs.

Since the second half of 2023, going overseas has become an important strategy for Shenzhi Future. So far, Shenzhi Future has established a small localized team in North America and achieved major customer links through offline channels; Shenzhi Future’s AI night vision products have also gained certain recognition in markets such as Singapore, South Korea, Australia and Germany.

In terms of the team, Shenzhi Future’s founder and CEO Zhang Qining graduated from the Computer Science Department of Wuhan University and has more than 10 years of product, technology and management experience in Huawei and Tencent; co-founder and CTO Guo Qifeng graduated from the Software Engineering Department of Northwestern Polytechnical University and has served as the core technology leader of key departments such as Tencent, Baidu, and Xiaomi.

Investor’s viewpoint
Zhang Yingbiao, Chairman of Jingtai Capital, said: “Shenzhi Future has a world-class AI ISP algorithm and night vision products based on this algorithm. Through self-developed drone-mounted cameras and handheld observation mirrors and other products, Shenzhi Future continues to deepen its presence in the field of AI night vision and achieves global leading breakthroughs in practical applications. It is a rare high-tech company with both software algorithms and hardware capabilities. Jingtai Capital will support startups with global vision, top technological strength, and strong commercialization capabilities for a long time.”