Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA), Microsoft’s research arm, and Hong Kong-based container shipping company Orient Overseas Container Line Limited (OOCL) announced partnership in applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) research to improve network operations and achieve efficiencies in shipping. The collaboration is expected to nurture over 200 AI developers over the next 12 months.
Dr. Hsiao-Wuen Hon, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft, Chairman of Microsoft’s Asia-Pacific R&D Group, and Managing Director of Microsoft Research Asia, explained:
Shipping network operations involve multiple parties and variables that can change at any moment. Embracing AI is a complex business challenge in digital transformation. MSRA’s AI research experts have joined forces with OOCL to optimize its existing shipping operations using deep and reinforcement learning, an R&D area that needs top AI researchers and domain experts for business impact validation.
OOCL has fully embraced a hybrid cloud infrastructure with auto-switching and auto-scaling throughout its businesses and machine learning for several years, as it processes and analyzes over 30 million vessel data every month. By leveraging AI technology and machine learning, the company develops predictive analytics on vessel schedules and berth activities.
Through this partnership, OOCL expects to save around USD10 million in operation costs annually by applying the AI research and techniques for optimizing shipping network operations from the recent 15-week engagement, according to Steve Siu, Chief Information Officer of OOCL.
Under the deal, the company will embark on an 18-month joint-partnership in research and development to apply deep learning and reinforcement learning in shipping network. In addition, MSRA will assist OOCL in training over 200 AI engineers by conducting machine learning and deep learning sessions at the Hong Kong Science Park over the next 12 months.
We look forward to strengthening our partnership with MSRA to leverage AI research and innovations to drive digital transformation in the shipping industry and to exchange knowledge among our top developers so that we can better address customer needs with advanced technologies and predictive analytics.
Cally Chan, General Manager of Microsoft Hong Kong, noted:
With our Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Edge vision, we are partnering with selected top customers worldwide to accelerate the adoption of AI innovations into products and solutions that can be applied in real business contexts. The partnership between MSRA and OOCL demonstrates our strong progress in revolutionizing the shipping industry.
