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Accelerating the Next
Generation of AI

UK-based Sunlight.io and US-based Pathr.ai are twocompanies participating in Lenovo’s AI Innovators
program, which is designed to scale up breakthroughs
in artificial intelligence applications from the edge tothe cloud. The companies help AI-powered computer
vision improve customer service and pedestrian traffic
flow, highlighting edge AI’s potential to enhance thelives of millions.
At a big-box store in the UK, a customer hesitates in front of alocked case of noise-canceling headphones. The gear looks likejust what she needs to help calm her nerves on her upcoming
flight from a nearby regional airport. Unfortunately, the clock isticking, and she doesn’t have time to hunt down an employee
to get help. Just as she’s about to turn away, an associate
approaches her and unlocks the case. The woman heads to theairport, headphones in hand, just minutes after entering thestore.
And her experience just keeps getting better. The airport feels
less crowded than when the woman last flew, there are plenty ofagents at counters to help her check in, so she doesn’t have towait, and she’s through the security line in record time. The
woman’s trip is off to a great start—unbeknownst to her, with thehelp of artificial intelligence working behind the scenes.

With an assist from AI, retailers are cutting wait times for their customers.

Scenarios similar to this fictional example are already beginningto play out at retail stores and transportation hubs around theworld, thanks to a unique partnership between Lenovo andinnovative software startups like Sunlight.io and Pathr.ai™.
Pathr.ai provides spatial intelligence software that gathers
anonymous data from security cameras to give businesses
insights into how people behave in physical spaces. “Thefeedback we’re getting is that operations are running moresmoothly,” Pathr.ai CEO and founder George Shaw says of thecompany’s traffic analysis work with retailers. For one thing,
Shaw adds, “The staff is much happier because they’re notgetting whiplash being pulled in ten different directions.” That’s
because AI tells them where to be at the right time to helpcustomers—for example, at locked cases.
This revolutionary technology isn’t limited to retail. Sunlight.io’s
computing platform running on enovo edge hardware powers
software from their partner, aitTime, to help planners at aregional airport in the UK. Planners using the system can see
how travelers traverse the airport, where they get stuck, how
they flow through security checkpoints, what check-in desks
they prefer, and more. Armed with that data, “They’reoptimi ing the experience of getting through security, getting
checked in, and getting to the gate,” says Julian Chesterfield,Sunlight.io s co-founder and CEO.
LWz'“The feedback we’re getting is that

operations are running much moresmoothly [...] The staff is muchhappier because they’re not getting

whiplash being pulled in ten

different directions.”— George Shaw

| CEOand ounder of Pathr.ai
FSunlight.io and Pathr.ai are part of acommunity of software startups developing AI
applications and infrastructure platforms at theedge and beyond. ith the support of Lenovo’s
new AI Innovators program—and Lenovo edge
servers equipped with rd Gen Intel eon
Scalable processors with built-in AI acceleration, these startups
are improving lives without sacrificing privacy or performance.
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Sunlight.io’s computing platform is helping airport planners spot bottlenecks and minimize wait times.

AI Innovations at the Edge

After a decade or more of moving to the cloud to streamline andscale operations and improve customer experiences, businesses
are now exploring a new frontier the edge. That’s why thecombination of edge and cloud computing scores high on
cKinsey ompany’s li t of the top most significant
technology trends of. Also high on the list—at the very top
for speed of innovation and amount of investment—is AI. It’s nocoincidence. The edge and AI go hand-in-hand.
:Ms& C142022

The edge means business-and-industrial-scale computing taking
place on-site and away from traditional, big-ticket data centersand cloud infrastructure. It’s made possible by hardware andsoftware advances that shrink the computational power ofyesterday’s mainframes into intelligent and affordable devices
that are no bigger than shoeboxes.
Now, even the manager of a small retail store can command thepower of artificial intelligence from their desk, on-site or off. It isrelatively heavy in terms of computing and is not something youraverage laptop can pull off, Shaw says of his company’s
advanced AI algorithms. Some retailers have dedicated serverrooms , but then there are retailers running analytics on acomputer under the manager’s desk. e have to support both.
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With Pathr.ai’s dashboard, retailers can access analytics on their desktop and tablet and even get realtime alerts sent to their mobile phones.

Sunlight.io certifies servers from enovo to run its softwaredefined infrastructure and infrastructure manager, which aredesigned to bring cloud-like simplicity to deploying andrunning edge applications. “Enterprises are looking for datacenter-class high availability and usability but something thatcan run on very small and efficient devices outside of the coredata center,” Chesterfield says. In other words, businesses needhigh performance computing that’s always available anddoesn’t introduce unacceptable lag due to round trips to cloud
resources. “These devices can’t consume lots of power, theycan’t output a lot of heat, they have to be passively cooled by
the air, and so on.” He says the ThinkEdge family of products
from enovo hits the mark.
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Thanks to such advanced-yet-affordable and ruggedized
hardware, innovative software from companies like Sunlight.ioand Pathr.ai, and data from standard security cameras,
operations managers everywhere can deploy responsive AI.
They’re using it to track and predict traffic flows, dispatch
employees to provide help where and when needed, andgenerally improve the experience of shoppers, travelers, diners,and employees. dge AI makes the necessary high-speed
calculations in real-time while preserving privacy; data andimages never leave the building.
E“Enterprises are looking for datacenter-class high availability andusability but something that canrun on very small and efficientdevices outside of the core datacenter.”— Julian hesterfield
C| CEOand o- ounder of Sunlight.ioCF

ost folks don’t want video leaving the premises, Shaw says.
That’s especially true in urope, where the GDPR privacy
regulation provides strict privacy protections for consumers.
And that round trip to the cloud—even if you have a ton of
bandwidth available—can take a lot of time.
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Among the benefits that edge AI brings Sunlight.io s quick
service restaurant clients and their customers, for example:
better service enabled by advanced computing that’s easy for
non-specialists to install and maintain. Ready access to suchtechnology opens the door to many possibilities, according to
Chesterfield. “ e re seeing the use of technology to do more
automation,” he says. “So, things like robotic kitchen
automation and natural language processing for automatedordering systems.”'W'ecause dge AI makes the necessary high-speed calculations in real-time, data and images don t have toleave the building.
BE'r : Bu l

AI Innovato

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Both Shaw and hesterfield credit the Lenovo AI Innovators
Cprogram with helping them expand their offerings worldwide.
The program shepherds AI-focused independent software
vendors (ISVs) through three program levels Explore, Deploy,and Scale to help advance new AI technologies. The program
gives ISVs access to Lenovo AI expertise and AI-readyinfrastructure, helping them serve more customers, and helping
Lenovo align its hardware engineering with software
performance. Program participants say Lenovo expertise andinfrastructure can make major difference in helping them deliver
the best solutions to new markets.
:According to AI Innovators program lead, Nicholas Borsotto,
Explore partners have exciting technology in hand that still
hasn’t reached a large customer base. The program gives thoseinnovators access to Lenovo infrastructure experts as mentors tocreate reference architectures and proofs of concept that havethe potential to scale to larger deployments and reach broadermarkets.
The Deploy program level helps AI Innovators with welldeveloped technology to scale up. e provide access to our AI
labs in Raleigh, Stuttgart, Beijing, and Taipei, Borsotto says. The
goal is to find the most efficient ways for these partners to reachthe next level. e spend a lot of effort in the first mile—all thepre-testing, documentation—and the last mile, including
deployment and supply chain.
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Operations managers can deploy responsive AI to dispatch employees to help customers and improve theretail experience, particularly at big box stores and shopping centers.

Borsotto describes the Scale level as an enhanced version of theDeploy level. The Scale level sharpens the supply chain focus of
the Deploy level to help partners scale across global regions.

aybe they want to look at specific regional agreements—forexample, they want to break into the Asia-Pacific region,
Borsotto explains.
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y now, both Pathr.ai and Sunlight.io have built strong
businesses with solid product offerings. But initially, it wastouch and go for retail-focused Pathr.ai; Shaw founded thecompany in 2019, just before the pandemic shuttered retailstores all over the world. “ e managed to stay afloat through2020,” Shaw says. And today, “ e are really hitting our stride,
really starting to grow.”
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Just as Borsotto and other Lenovo leaders behind the program

intended, AI Innovators is helping early-stage companies likePathr.ai and Sunlight.io thrive, with benefits accruing not just tothem but also to Lenovo and its customers. e want to be asignificant player enabling AI solutions for the future, Borsottosays. And that doesn’t necessarily mean just creating our own
algorithms but being a fundamental part of bringing AI to ourcustomers and their customers.
“W”“”

We provide access to our AI labs in“Raleigh, Stuttgart, Beijing, and Taipei[...] The goal is toef

find the mostficient ways for these partners toxt level. We spend a lot

reach the neof effort in thefirst mile—all the pre-, documentation—and the last

testing, including deployment andmile

supply chain.”— Nicholas Borsotto | AI Innovators Program eadLTo help the best ideas bubble to the surface without a lot of redtape, joining the AI Innovators program is a relatively informal
process. So far, we have issued no calls for applications,Borsotto says. Instead, he says ISVs can find their way into
consideration through a recommendation from someone atLenovo, an ISV already in the program, or by directing personalinquiries to Borsotto and his team members. I also do a lot ofdirect outreach to companies that are of interest for Lenovo,
Borsotto says. It’s all in the service of building an AI-powered
future that benefits people around the globe.
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