Tokyo, March 2, 2023 – NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) has developed an "application-aware IT & network control technology" that enables real-time, high-precision analyses of video from a large number of cameras installed at worksites and other locations.

This new development consists of two types of AI-based technologies. The first one is "important region prediction technology," which automatically extracts important regions to be analyzed from a large amount of video data. The second one is “dynamic load distribution technology," which dynamically distributes analysis processing to worksite stations (edge devices) and the cloud according to the degree of importance of the regions in the extracted video and the load conditions of networks and computing.

In recent years, DX initiatives aimed at reforming operations and improving safety have accelerated at logistics, manufacturing, construction, and other sites. In particular, there is a growing need to have a large number of cameras installed in the field and to utilize advanced video analytical AI, such as action recognition, to grasp the state of work progress and to ensure safe conditions. At these sites, power sources and installation locations are restricted, and layout changes often occur due to high-mix, low-volume production. As a result, smaller edge devices and wireless communications are required. However, when the processing volume of video analytics AI increases due to changes in on-site conditions, there is the issue of insufficient processing power for small edge devices. In addition, when allocating processing to the cloud, large amounts of video data must be transmitted wirelessly, which poses the problem of insufficient communication bandwidth when the number of cameras increases or radio wave conditions deteriorate.

To solve these challenges, NEC developed application-aware IT & network control technology that enables video analysis in environments with limited processing power and communication bandwidth by extracting only the regions to be analyzed in the video and dynamically allocating processing to edge devices and the cloud according to their importance and loads. This technology makes efficient use of ICT resources to improve productivity by grasping conditions in real time and with a high degree of accuracy in large-scale sites where a large number of cameras are installed, and is capable of issuing alerts to ensure safe conditions.

In the future, NEC will conduct demonstrations of the application-aware IT & network control technology at distribution warehouses and construction sites with the aim of putting it into practical use during the fiscal year ending in March 2024.

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About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of “Orchestrating a brighter world.” NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.