Amazon Confirms Closure of Its Shanghai AI Lab

Contact Your Elected Officials

The lab’s chief applied scientist attributed the closure to ’strategic adjustments between China and the United States.’

Amazon is closing an artificial intelligence (AI) lab it established in Shanghai seven years ago, the latest American company to scale back its China-based research force amid ongoing U.S.–China tensions.

The lab, opened during the 2018 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), was Amazon’s flagship investment in overseas AI research. News of its closure comes just days before this year’s WAIC is set to take place in Shanghai.

The decision to shut down the Shanghai lab was first publicized by Wang Minjie, the lab’s chief applied scientist, in a statement posted Tuesday on the Chinese messaging platform WeChat. He attributed the closure to “strategic adjustments between China and the United States.”

Wang said his team had published more than 100 research papers and built from scratch the Deep Graph Library (DGL), an open-source framework for machine learning on graph-structured data. According to Wang, DGL has generated nearly $1 billion in revenue for Amazon’s e-commerce business.

“I can confidently say that my team ranks among the very best in the field of Agentic AI, in terms of technical depth, scientific rigor, and execution,” Wang wrote, referring to a class of AI systems capable of setting their own goals and taking actions with minimal human intervention, in contrast to traditional AI that primarily responds to user input.

Amazon confirmed the lab’s closure following Wang’s announcement. The company did not indicate whether the current geopolitical climate had to do with the decision, but emphasized that it was the result of an internal strategic review.

“After a thorough review of our organization, our priorities, and what we need to focus on going forward, we’ve made the difficult business decision to eliminate some roles across particular teams in AWS,” Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser said in an emailed statement, referring to Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud computing service.

AWS, which offers a suite of AI and machine learning tools, remains Amazon’s most profitable division. However, in its most recent quarterly earnings released in May, AWS missed revenue expectations for the third consecutive quarter. Despite a 17 percent year-over-year increase to $29.3 billion, growth slowed from 18.9 percent in the previous quarter, marking the lowest growth rate in more than a year.

“We didn’t make these decisions lightly, and we’re committed to supporting employees throughout their transition,” Glasser said.

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Tylenol’s Headache

When President Trump, RFK Jr., and Dr. Mehmet Oz called for pregnant women to avoid using acetaminophen, Tylenol got the headache.

American Restaurants Are Going Broke

U.S. restaurant bankruptcies surged to 22% in 2020 amid COVID-19 and stayed elevated at 14% last year due to Biden’s “Build Back Better” policy.

A Few Fun Alternatives to the”Gory Stuff” at Halloween

Halloween has gone off the rails with gore through the decades.  But there are ways to enjoy the "scary stuff" without giving into darker, pagan alliances.  

Germany Stands To Lose & Poland To Gain From The EU’s Latest Energy Move

The US is geostrategically re-engineering Europe at Germany’s expense in order to facilitate Russia’s post-Ukraine containment.

EBT Serfs Threaten Violent Mass-Shoplifting Spree if Food Stamps Cut

The EBT serfs of the underclass may be in for a rough ride come November, when mommy government is slated to wean them off the teat of state.

White House Releases Donor List for $300 Million Ballroom Project

The Trump admin has released a list of the private donors contributing funds to the new ballroom being constructed on the White House grounds.

Alleged Chinese Fentanyl Kingpin Recaptured in Cuba Following Mexico Escape

A Chinese fugitive wanted on suspicion of trafficking huge quantities of fentanyl and cocaine into the United States has been recaptured in Cuba.

Walmart Brings Back Thanksgiving Basket, Turkey at Lowest Price Since 2019

Walmart brings back its popular Thanksgiving Basket meal, offering turkey and fixings to feed 10 people for under $4 each.

Prominent Personalities Sign Letter Seeking Ban on ‘Development of Superintelligence’

Hundreds of people, from conservative commentators to tech executives, have signed a letter seeking a ban on “the development of superintelligence.”

Trump Pardons Convicted Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao, White House Confirms

Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, convicted of money laundering two years ago while leading the global cryptocurrency exchange.

Trump Calls off Meeting With Putin, White House Says

White House says Secretary Rubio and Russia’s Lavrov had a productive call; no further meetings or Trump-Putin talks are planned soon.

President Signs Rare Earth Agreement With Australia’s PM

President Trump hosted Australian PM Albanese at the White House, where both leaders signed a new agreement on rare earth mineral cooperation.

Trump Says Insurrection Act Is ‘Strongest Power a President Has’

President Trump detailed plans to invoke the Insurrection Act to address rampant crime, calling it the “strongest power a president has.”
spot_img

Related Articles

Popular Categories

MAGA Business Central