Lablup and Common Computer Coming Together to Open the Era of AI Network

Hi Community of AI Network,

In this post, I would like to briefly introduce you to two companies that created the AI ​​Network Project. In the winter of 2017, the project started when two engineers met. One was a Google engineer who was studying the blockchain in depth with personal interest, and the other was a CEO that was running a startup related to AI and machine learning for three years.

Making Machine Running Distributed Processing System with Open Source

First, let’s look into the startup Lablup and its CEO, Jung-gyu Shin. CEO Shin majored in complex systems and neuroscience at POSTECH. He launched the startup in order to resolve some issues, which are a bit cumbersome and tedious in the field of machine learning, along with his college mates and lab co-workers that majored in physics and computer engineering. However, after he launched the startup, he could hardly have a noticeable success even for a short term because of a lack of social interest in the machine learning or AI.

But as it says, you have to have both luck and timing to make it in the world. Just when he built a platform for machine learning distributed processing and changed the engine into Google’s TensorFlow, a historical thing happened. A Go player Se-dol Lee won a game by a wide margin over AlphaGo. This contest brought unprecedented interest in machine learning and AI around the world including Korea. On that day, the Backend.AI platform of Lablup experienced a traffic increase of 160,000%. For Backend.AI, which will play an important role in the AI ​​Network, we will give more detailed explanations in later postings.

Google-Like Development Environment to be Implemented through Blockchain

On the other hand, CEO Min-hyun Kim, who entered Google Korea as the youngest developer, was interested in the future of blockchain technology. Then someone introduced CEO Jung-gyu Shin to him. They together started writing a white paper about the blockchain specialized in machine learning since the winter of 2017. It was because CEO Min-hyun Kim regarded it as his mission to enable everyone from anywhere to access Google in-house cloud to execute coding and a huge amount of scripts through blockchain with a laptop that even doesn’t have GPU. He was verifying his ideas and operating simulations from the beginning of 2018. In April, 2018, he was convinced of his success and eventually left Google to establish Common Computer in May. Now, he and his team are in the process of preparing for the ICO for AI Network, which is the primary goal in achieving his final dream.

Becoming Reality beyond Thought

The ideas of the two have now become the target of more than ten people. The two jointly set up AI Network PTE. LTD. expecting ICO in near future. According to our roadmap, it is our primary goal to allow everyone to access Backend.AI, a platform for AI development, through a blockchain token. At this time, we will issue the token based on ERC-20 at the Q4 of this year as an added payment method for Backend.AI. The token will be mainly distributed to the AI development communities and research institutes so that the use and circulation of the token will begin right away. Next, we will launch the AIN Mainnet, get connected to P2P networks through blockchain, and develop an environment where both suppliers and consumers can get compensated through the AIN coins and develop AI. We will give more detailed explanations of the launch and participants in the Mainnet in later postings.
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In the next article, Joon-gi Kim, CTO of Lablup will explain the Backend.AI in detail.

Thank you.

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