Operationalising AI for Digital Transformation of the Security Industry
“AI Scientist Robert Lin briefing Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Industry (Photo by Chris Cubbage)”
Certis has announced the official opening of the Certis Centre for Applied Intelligence (CCAI). The centre is another significant milestone in Certis’ transformation from a physical guarding services provider to a technology-enabled organisation. First of its kind in the security industry, the CCAI will serve as a research hub, and harness deep research capabilities globally to develop cutting-edge AI-enabled solutions that can be operationalised to benefit businesses and society, and drive tech-led transformation. Guest of Honour, Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Chan Chun Sing officially unveiled the CCAI at the launch event.
Mr Paul Chong, President and Group Chief Executive Officer, Certis said, “The launch of the Certis Centre for Applied Intelligence underscores our continued commitment to transform the security
“Video Analytics and Research Hub on Display (Photo by Chris Cubbage)”
industry through technology. As part of our strategic efforts to boost our expertise in AI, we have attracted the best minds and talent from leading universities and the industry, and will partner them closely to develop advanced AI-enabled security applications and solutions that are practical in our operations. I am confident that our extensive operations-technology expertise will position us in good stead as a leader in the field of innovative security solutions, where AI is applied to strengthen our ops-tech capabilities in our Security+ approach.”
Developing Innovative AI-enabled Security Solutions
“Video Analytics and Research Hub on Display (Photo by Chris Cubbage)”
The CCAI will enable Certis to build up AI expertise and resources to operationalise AI in the area of multi-disciplinary security and integrated services. In addition, it will enhance Certis’ expertise to orchestrate complex and critical business operations, enabling both Certis and its customers to keep pace with the fast-evolving business and technological landscape. Located at the Certis Commonwealth building, the 810-square-metre CCAI is equipped with software and hardware capabilities for machine learning and deep learning in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Data Analytics. It is powered by the Nvidia/Asus GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) farm with a processing capacity that is scalable, enabling its training speed to increase exponentially. It also houses an environment testing room for CCTV detection tests under different lighting conditions, an audio room to assess the accuracy of audio detection under varying noise environments, and an advanced system area for trialling the movements, turning radius and speed of robots.
“Video Analytics and Research Hub on Display (Photo by Chris Cubbage)”
New and advanced solutions are being developed in the areas of security and surveillance and identity management leveraging non-facial humanoid recognition technology that could also be extended to non-security applications such as patient, commuter and consumer journey analytics. With an in-house capacity for 80 partners, the centre functions as an integrated hub of collaborative spaces to drive ideation, brainstorming and actualisation of innovation.
Strategic collaborations undergird futuristic AI-enabled applications
For a start, the CCAI will foster strategic collaborations with key industry players, AI start-ups, academia and government agencies, both local and international. It will work with researchers from AI Singapore and Singapore’s institutes of higher learning, namely the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University. The centre has also initiated collaborative work with renowned overseas universities like National Taiwan University and Zhejiang University, as well as major corporations from the private sector. Key industry-driven initiatives include advanced robotic solutions with Zhejiang University, reinforced learning coupled with optimisation algorithm to improve the efficiency of manpower deployment with Singapore Management University and object identification using fisheye cameras with National Chiao Tung University.
Powering the CCAI with talent
To this end, we have the support of a team of 120, comprising developers, data engineers, data scientists, researchers, AI engineers, apprentices and interns from Certis and its partners, to ensure a vibrant AI ecosystem at the CCAI.
