Exclusive Interview With Zhou Bowen: Where Will The Jingdong Internet Industry Go?

Two years ago, Nash's office was slightly cramped in the "two space" of the Beichen Century Center, "Nash space". A narrow desk filled with all kinds of data, placed double screen computers, and several chairs in the house were almost filled up. In such a place, Zhou Bowen, who was responsible for the creation of Jingdong AI platform and research department from zero, was holding the entrepreneurial mentality. "It is also doing pioneering work," said Mr. Zhou Bowen.

Now, after two years of entrepreneurship, Zhou Bowen and his team have moved to a more spacious National Conference Center office. The total number of technical teams of Jingdong group has soared to more than twenty thousand. Looking back at the past, Zhou Bowen regrets that the current venture has entered a new milestone.

"At present, Jingdong is a relatively large iteration in terms of scale, mission or positioning, compared with 2018." In May 14th, in an exclusive interview with the twenty-first Century economic report reporter, Zhou Bowen, President of Jingdong Chi Lian cloud, said.

In fact, during the two years, a series of visible changes have taken place in Jingdong technology from system to management. Whether it is high-level personnel changes, or the integration of cloud, AI, IoT three major business units, the establishment of Jingdong cloud and AI business unit, or the opening of Jingdong cloud cloud brand - technology is in the interior of Jingdong is starting from the past scattered everywhere, began polymerization and unification.

As the helmsman of Jingdong Zhi Lian Yun, Zhou Bowen has his own thoughts on the change of Jingdong's technological system. "Our core is to create value for customers and export value and services externally," said Zhou Bowen, referring to Jingdong Chi Lian cloud. "The so-called customers include both Jingdong group's own customers and to B customers. Around different customers, we are introducing a series of different plans.

Jingdong Zhi Lian Yun President Zhou Bowen. Data map

Composite technology output

AI, IoT, block chain, Cloud Computing... This wave of new technology began to churn years ago. In 2019, new technologies began to integrate into manufacturing, retail, education, medical and other industries, and the industrial Internet was in the ascendant.

Compared with BAT, which cuts from the consumption Internet, Jingdong has gone out of the same way when facing the industry internet. And Ali relies mainly on the algorithm of Ali cloud computing power, Baidu focuses on artificial intelligence, Tencent emphasizes C2B's "connection ability", HUAWEI relies on smart data center layout digital transformation is different, Jingdong's "base camp" in intelligent supply chain and open logistics.

At the same time, thanks to the construction of the deep ploughing retail supply chain system for a long time, Jingdong's natural station is a perfect match point between the consumer Internet and the industrial Internet. From the consumer to the upstream supply chain, from the consumer insight to the industrial pain spot, the control of the whole link has brought Jingdong a "ticket" to touch the industrial Internet.

And in the power industry internet, Jingdong Chi Lian cloud has its own thinking. "Jingdong has different industries and different types of customers, from large and medium-sized enterprises to small and medium enterprises. In order to create value for these customers, we have to think about how to invest in technology." Zhou Bowen explained.

It is also based on the starting point of customer demand. Jingdong sees that compound technology output becomes necessary.

"Most customers will talk to us about having a scene or pain points that need to be resolved," Zhou Bowen said. "They usually don't care if this scenario requires AI technology or IoT technology or cloud computing."

Therefore, technology integration has become the logic of the birth of Jingdong Chi Lian, and it has also formed the characteristics of Jingdong to a certain extent. In recent days, Jingdong has released a series of "Jingdong new power plan" for small and medium enterprises, a new plan of Jingdong's new energy plan for large and medium-sized enterprises, and a "new package of new products" designed to help Chinese brands.

Take the new power plan as an example, we pack all kinds of technologies including cloud computing, AI, IoT, big data, block chain and so on.

In addition, Jingdong Zhi Lian Yun also launched a Pratt & Whitney service to help SMEs in the cloud. For example, 100 thousand SMEs provide 126 SAAS digital transformation software services for 3 months free of use rights.

"Customers need to create end-to-end value, Jingdong Chi Lian Yun has this gene and industry Know-how, as well as retail, logistics, family support and other brotherhood," Zhou Bowen said. "This industry gene determines that our services to many industries are deep, not just to provide a IT infrastructure."

Industrial Internet transformation

A deep understanding of the industry makes it easier for Jingdong to fit in with the needs of customers when it comes to the Internet.

There are three problems in the industry internet. First, where is the customer, how the product touches the customer and effective sales; second, what is the product form, how to make continuous innovation of products around the user group; third, how to improve the production and synergy efficiency of all links through digitalization. Zhou Bowen bluntly said.

Jingdong Zhi Lian cloud, through technical means, asked the answers to the above questions.

Zhou Bowen told reporters, for example, this year, during the 6 / 18 period, Jingdong will work with a refrigerator manufacturer to launch a refrigerator designed with all artificial intelligence, which is also the first attempt of Jingdong Zhi Lian cloud in the industrial Internet.

It is understood that through the analysis of Jingdong's large number of consumer groups for artificial intelligence analysis, initially formed a consumer insight, Jingdong Zhi Lian cloud team in-depth production workshop inside, communicate with manufacturers.

The way of communication is also data oriented. By abstracting the characteristics of the refrigerator into a mathematical model and simulating it with neural network, we can understand the consumers' feedback after the production design. After the formation of digital virtual products, AI will further promote the iteration of refrigerators until the balance between them is achieved based on user data learning and feedback. All this, through the Jingdong SaaS service on cloud computing, enables engineers and designers to iterate on a real-time interactive interface, and directly see the simulated product form, the corresponding consumer evaluation and forecast, and even the regional distribution of sales volume.

Thereafter, producers can produce according to the best matching model. Even in the future, with the introduction of flexible production chain, each parameter can be dynamically allocated to form a fully automated process. "According to the digital report, manufacturers can adjust various configurations of the production line for flexible manufacturing," Zhou Bowen pointed out. "The value it brings is efficiency improvement, cost reduction in all links, and improvement of customer satisfaction."

      It should be noted that in this process, a large number of artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing and other comprehensive innovation and application make it different from the traditional C2M reverse customization. The role of technology makes the decision farewell to the "beat the brain business" formed by the past long experience, allowing industrial decision-makers to simulate up to hundreds of design functions and properties of the product, and according to the real-time simulation. Feedback, so that all decisions are digitalized, and the model algorithm is quantified to cover the whole category.

In Zhou Bo Wen's view, the current Jingdong's industrial Internet transformation path is still being explored, and there are still many forward-looking attempts like this. Every technology and industry innovation like this is the exploration of digitalization of Jingdong's technology sustainable industry. Once successful, you will find that the era of industrial Internet is really coming, and enterprises will also have more power to transform their production lines, so that flexible and digital manufacturing can penetrate into their supply chain.