Spearheading the industrial ecosystem of 5G+ Edge Cloud Services for Industry 4.0, AILINK Secures ¥150 Million in Series A Funding
Recently, AILINK completed ¥150 million in Series A funding. Intel Capital, Shenzhen Angel FOF, TCL-CIC Capital, Puxin Capital, Sumitomo Corporation Equity Asia Limited, Singtel Innov8 and HuaDi Capital participated in this financing round.
According to AILINK, this fund received will further enhance the research and development of core products in industrial 5G and industrial intelligence, accelerate deployment and promotion in more industries, drive large-scale commercialization in key industrial segments, and expedite expansion into overseas markets.
Founded in 2020, AILINK specializes in 5G edge intelligence; its offerings include end-to-end 5G network elements, a lightweight industrial edge intelli-gence platform, and an open application management platform, provides one-stop, scenario-based solutions for B2B customers in the industrial manufacturing sector。Currently, its core industrial-native 5G private network products have been successfully deployed in scenarios such as factories, mines, and warehouses。
Over more than three years of development as a pioneer in converging intelligent communication and computing infrastructure products, AILINK has achieved several industry breakthroughs in commercial deployments:
1.The world's first commercial deployment of over 200 mobile intelligent devices (AGV/AMR/Autonomous mining trucks, etc.) in a 5G private network: Rapid deployment of a 5G standalone private network for intelligent logistics parks of leading global e-commerce companies, with zero downtime in two-year period for the commercial operation of over 200 robots, achieving unmanned, low-cost operation and maintenance.
2.The world's leading commercially viable industrial 5G cellular network provider: In the factories of top global electrical giants, the company converged multiple wireless technologies such as 5G, 4G, NB-IoT, and UWB, achieving the full-element connection of "men, machines, materials, methods, and environment" and significantly resulting in a 72% inventory reduction, a 20-fold conversion efficiency improvement with 0% error rate.
3.The automotive industry's first production line-level 5G commercial case: AILINK collaborated with a leading new energy vehicle manufacturer and jointly developed industrial-grade 5G terminals created a unique lightweight independent 5G industrial network solution.
AILINK's products have been widely applied in industries such as high-end equipment, new energy, automotive, mining, and warehouse logistics. The company serves clients including Schneider Electric, Siemens, Rockwell Automation, NIO, JDL, China National Building Material Group, State Power Investment Corporation, Shenyang Institute of Automation, etc. AILINK also has deep collaborations with AWS, SAP, China Broadnet ,China Telecom and China Unicom, etc.
AILINK values product innovation and cutting-edge technology research, actively participates in domestic and international standard organizations. It holds over 100 core patents and leads or participates in more than 30 international and domestic standards. Moreover, AILINK collaborates extensively with domestic and foreign universities and research institutions, working with units such as Tsinghua University, Peking University, and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology(CAICT), participating in multiple industry-level key research and development projects.
Since 2021, the capital market is undergoing a phased adjustment. AILINK's success in securing support from influential industrial capital and renowned financial investors domestically and internationally during this period is attributed to the superior performance and maturity of its independently developed products. These products have been commercially validated by dozens of global leading customers, establishing a strong presence in cutting-edge technology and overseas markets.
Ding Yingzhe, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of AILINK, stated, "The various new applications in the era of intelligence pose new requirements for the infrastructure of wireless connectivity and computing, demanding disruptive technological and business model innovations. Industrial digitization requires deep integration of various Intelligent technologies and 5G, as well as the deep fusion of 5G and industrial automation. This provides strong drive for AILINK to innovate products and broaden market space. Over the past few years, AILINK's products and solutions have been commercially validated and recognized by leading customers in multiple industries. With the financial support of this funding round, we will accelerate the large-scale commercial deployment of our products."
Investor Perspectives
Shenzhen Angel FOF: AILINK is a high-tech company focused on the construction of infrastructure and providing solutions in the field of industrial 5G private network. AILINK possesses underlying technologies for industrial 5G private network and standardized products and solutions for various industrial scenarios. It is the only startup in China that has achieved commercial-grade industrial 5G private network products with a sizable customer base. AILINK has gained recognition and adoption from top domestic and international industrial clients. We firmly believe in the upgrading and development of intelligent manufacturing in the entire domestic industry, which will inevitably require truly commercializable and widely applicable technologies and solutions. We believe that AILINK has the potential to become a technological leader in the industrial 5G private network market and make positive contributions to the development of China's industrial Internet, also to enhance the overall industrial competitiveness of our country.
TCL-CIC Capital: AILINK has strong technological accumulation and a deep understanding of industrial production environments. As a provider of AI and 5G network environment solutions for digital factories, AILINK has successfully integrated IT and OT capabilities and gained recognition from top domestic and international customers. We have high expectations for AILINK's development prospects. As an industry pioneer and technological frontrunner, AILINK will transform information technology into a catalyst for industrial production environments, enhancing the marginal contribution of digital technology in industrial production and assisting Chinese manufacturing companies in achieving digital transformation and upgrading.
Cai Wen, General Manager of Puxin Capital: 5G + intelligent manufacturing has become a consensus at the national and industrial level. AILINK is a true pioneer in the field of native industrial 5G private network, and their products have tremendous market potential. It is foreseeable that there will be resonance between industrial foundations, market demands, industry applications, and funding. We maintain a positive outlook on the direction of intelligent manufacturing and look forward to AILINK benefiting industrial and manufacturing customers both domestically and internationally, growing into an indispensable part of the new generation of digital infrastructure construction in industrial sites.
Martin Mai, Vice President of Sumitomo Corporation Equity Asia Limited: We are honored to become a new shareholder of AILINK. Automation, intelligence, and cloudification in the industrial sector are global trends, and one of the key infrastructure requirements in these trends is the establishment of high-speed industrial network. With the increasing deployment of advanced and diverse production equipment, obviously there is still significant room for improvement and imperatively to enhance today's industrial network facilities. Therefore, we highly recognize AILINK's ambition to address these market pain points, and we believe in their ability and potential to become an industry benchmark.
