The following white paper by a Chinese state-affiliated think tank emphasizes the importance of AI frameworks in the current and future phases of the development of AI technology. The white paper references well-known foreign frameworks such as TensorFlow and PyTorch, and also goes into considerable detail on applications of Chinese platforms such as Baidu’s PaddlePaddle and Huawei’s MindSpore.
The Chinese source text is available online at: http://www.caict.ac.cn/kxyj/qwfb/bps/202202/P020220226369908606520.pdf
An archived version of the Chinese source text is available online at: https://perma.cc/N2F6-27U9
White Paper on AI Framework Development (2022)
Preface
AI helps the current economy and society enter the intelligent economy (智能经济) era. The world is entering a time of reshaping driven by a new generation of information technology (IT). As an important enabling technology, artificial intelligence (AI) has a strong “lead goose effect” that spills over to drive the activation of the real economy. This makes it of great significance for building up national science and technology (S&T) influence. AI has become a new technology hotspot in countries around the world, and the construction of AI infrastructure has also become an important key element and focus. The next ten years will be a golden age for the global development of the digital economy and our entry into the intelligent economy and society era. Focusing on the development of AI infrastructure will provide a strong pull for the growth of China’s AI industry and the flourishing development of the digital economy.
AI frameworks are the operating systems for the intelligent economy era. As a basic tool in the AI development stage, AI frameworks assume the role of operating systems in the AI technology ecosystem and are an important vehicle for AI academic innovation and industrial commercialization, helping AI move from theory to practice and quickly enter the era of scenario-specific applications. They are also one of the infrastructures necessary for the development of AI. As their importance continues to increase, AI frameworks have become one of the focuses of innovation in the AI industry, attracting the attention of academic and industry circles.
In this context, this white paper aims to clarify the meanings of concepts, the evolutionary process, the technical system, and the significance of the role of AI frameworks. We will do this by summarizing the current development status of AI frameworks, studying and making judgments about the development trends of AI framework technologies, and putting forward prospects and path suggestions for the development of AI frameworks. Since AI frameworks are still in a stage of rapid development, we still need to gain a deeper understanding of AI frameworks. Therefore, we welcome criticism and corrections of any deficiencies in this white paper.
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