SIA New Member Profile: NETINT Technologies

New Security Industry Association (SIA) member NETINT Technologies develops silicon solutions for ultra-high-density video encoding and processing in the data center. NETINT is a Canadian company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, with research and development teams in Vancouver and Toronto and additional sales and marketing personnel located in the United States to service its core markets.

SIA spoke with Alex Liu, co-founder and chief operating officer at NETINT, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.

Tell us the story of your company.

Alex Liu: My partner, Tao Zhong, and I started NETINT Technologies in 2015 to drive the transformation of the video encoding and processing function from being software running on x86 or Arm CPUs to a much more efficient approach using custom application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Since then, we are shipping our second-generation chip and have established the new category called video processing units (VPUs), to provide customers with superior high-performance, scalable and energy-efficient video processing solutions that reduce operating expenses and energy consumption by 20 times or greater compared to the traditional approach of using software. 

The value of a VPU is easily summarized in that we can, on average, remove 19 servers currently running software for video encoding and streaming in a video security data center for each NETINT VPU-equipped server installed. NETINT customers using VPUs span some of the largest social networks, video streaming services, cloud gaming platforms and public clouds in the world. These companies are processing millions of streams using our products. To date, NETINT VPUs have encoded or processed more than 200 billion minutes of video. As stunning as this achievement is, the application where our value contribution is strongest is video surveillance due to the enormous volume and cost sensitivites for storage and streaming.

As video surveillance site deployments raise the bar on their technology requirements with high-resolution cameras, real-time video analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) for faster and more accurate face and object detection, and advanced codecs like HEVC and AV1 to reduce storage costs, customers need to upgrade their technical capabilities while reducing operating expenses. NETINT’s portfolio of Codensity G5 ASIC-powered VPUs are purpose-built to address these needs.

What solutions/services does your business offer in the security industry? And what makes your offerings or your company unique?

AL: NETINT Technologies offers a portfolio of ASIC-driven VPUs that are purpose-built for large scale video surveillance deployments with high resolution cameras and analytics. Our Quadra portfolio of VPU’s operate in x86 and Arm-based servers and come in U.2 and add-in card form factors, able to encode and process more than 600 simultaneous streams on a single server. Our energy-efficient solutions enhance the quality, processing and storage of real-time surveillance video while reducing total cost of ownership.

What is something we might not know about your company – or something new you are doing in security?

AL: We’ve integrated AI and machine learning capabilities into our video processing solutions. Using any of the supported framework models, ultra-fast and efficient face detection or license plate recognition may be accomplished without requiring additional CPU capacity. This is very unique, as to date, much of the more advanced video processing must be done outside the encoder, which complicates deployments and creates integration hassle with many nDVRs. By leveraging the power of AI and machine learning, NETINT’s solutions can offer enhanced video quality, analytics and object recognition capabilities.

Another area where our products really excel is in high-density decoding. With this capability, video walls or advanced video mosaics may be created from cameras all with different codec standards, making it easier than ever to drive larger video walls for operations and monitoring centers.

NETINT is also exploring the use of blockchain technology to enhance the security and integrity of video data. By implementing blockchain-based solutions, we will be able to provide an additional layer of protection against tampering or unauthorized user access, ensuring the authenticity and integrity of video data.

NETINT is committed to ongoing innovation and the development of cutting-edge video processing technologies that address evolving industry needs and deliver more value to customers.

What is your company’s vision, and what are your goals for the security industry?

AL: NETINT’s goals in the security industry are to:

• Provide solutions to unlock higher performance at a lower cost basis than what is possible with CPU and GPU architectures. Our advantage today over CPU from an operational cost, density and power utilization perspective is greater than 20 times, while when compared to GPU, we can cut the operational cost in half or more. This tremendous advantage will only improve over time, as we are one of the few silicon solutions that is dedicated to video encoding. In comparison, GPU is built to accommodate increasingly non-video functions such as generative AI.
• Push the bounds on security for video data with advanced features, such as hardware-based encryption, secure boot and trusted execution environments, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of video data – this will continue to be a major focus for NETINT.
• Drive innovation and stay ahead of the curve by integrating cutting-edge technologies, such as AI, machine learning and blockchain, into our video processing solutions, helping to improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of security systems.
• Work closely with video surveillance solutions providers, integrators and their customers to understand what new challenges they face so that we can develop innovative solutions that address their needs.

Overall, NETINT’s vision and goals reflect our steadfast commitment to delivering specialized solutions to meet the unique video processing needs of security surveillance.

What do you think are the biggest opportunities in the security industry right now?

AL: NETINT Technologies is focused on the following trends and opportunities in the video surveillance industry.

• Advancements in AI and Machine Learning (ML): AI and ML are transforming the security industry, providing powerful capabilities such as facial recognition, object detection and anomaly detection. The integration of AI and ML capabilities into NETINT’s VPUs automates video analytics, improves the accuracy of threat detection and reduces false positives in video surveillance.
• Cloud-Based Solutions: Cloud-based security encoding and processing is an important frontier to provide scalability independent of server rack space or hardware availability – this makes the cloud more flexible and cost-effective compared to on-premises solutions. NETINT’s VPUs deliver advanced real-time data processing to cloud-based platforms that improve surveillance system management and a quicker response to security threats.
• Mobile Access: Many surveillance solutions providers are now offering apps that can be downloaded to mobile devices to deliver clients to view real-time video footage and the status of their surveillance system and be able to respond faster to incidents. NETINT’s solutions use advanced video encoding techniques, including HEVC and AV1, to compress video by more than 50% from what’s used today while maintaining high quality delivery to a wide range of devices.
• Internet of Things (IoT) and Connected Devices: The proliferation of IoT devices and connected devices is creating new opportunities in the security industry. Many solution providers offer smart cameras and sensors that can be integrated into surveillance systems to provide real-time monitoring, analytics and insightsfor greater visibility over security operations. NETINT’s VPUs enhance the processing of video and data gathered from these devices.

What are your predictions for the security industry in the short and long term?

AL: In the short term, the security industry will be driven by the adoption of advanced technologies, such as AI and machine learning, cloud-based solutions, and integration of IoT connected devices. Long-term, we believe that the security industry will evolve and be transformed by the adoption of new advanced video standards being developed by hyperscale social networks, video conferencing, cloud gaming and other latency-sensitive applications.

What do you enjoy most about being at your company – and in the security industry?

AL: The pace of innovation and change is really exhilarating today in technology, and this is affecting the security industry, offering opportunities for the development of innovative solutions to provide greater value at a lower operational cost.

What does SIA offer that is most important to you/your company? And what do you most hope to get out of your membership with SIA?

AL: SIA provides us access to the most essential industry news and trends in the market, networking opportunities, educational resources and advocacy to promote the interests of the security industry. Being a member of SIA provides NETINT with opportunities to connect with other industry professionals to learn about emerging trends and technologies. SIA’s focus on promoting innovation and collaboration in the industry offers NETINT an opportunity to identify opportunities to our solutions to deliver more value to customers.

How does your organization engage with SIA? What are your plans for involvement in the next year?

AL: NETINT Technologies is a new member of SIA, and we are excited to participate in upcoming conferences to network with other industry professionals, learn about emerging technologies and showcase the value that our solutions can offer video surveillance providers and customers. We look forward to leveraging the educational resources that SIA offers to stay current on the latest developments in the security industry. NETINT is also interested to explore participation in advocacy groups to help shape future policies and regulations in the security industry.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association.