Chinese agritech starup XAG rebrands with new 2-letter domain XA.com worth over $1.8 million

To grow beyond “startup” and build a lasting brand, startups at some point may need to own the best version .com domain of their .io  or.co domain. That’s exactly what XAG, a leading Chinese agritech startup, did. The company announced today it has acquired and adopted a two-letter top level domain XA.com at a whopping price of  $1.8 million (12 million RMB).

XA.com is one of the world’s 676 rare two-letter domains, most of which have been owned by corporate giants. The purchase of such a valuable domain indicates XAG’s confidence in its future development of agriculture technology. A visit to its former domain name, xag.cn/en, redirects visitors to their new domain address.

XAG also went on Twitter to make the new domain acquisition announcement. “We are excited to announce that XAG has claimed a new domain http://XA.COM WORTH MILLIONS for its upcoming journey of sustainable agriculture. 😁http://XA.COM is one of the only 676 top level two-letter #domains existed in the world,” the compnay said in a tweet.

Founded in 2007, XAG was formerly known as XAIRCRAFT. The startup is committed to the development and implantation of agricultural technology, it is one of the world’s leading UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) R&D manufacturers and a smart agriculture solution provider. Headquartered in Guangzhou, XAG consists of XAG MANUFACTURE, XPLANET, XGEOMATICS, and XAG ACADEMY. Meanwhile, XAG has set up laboratories and research stations in 20 countries, including Australia, Japan, Germany, etc., participated in a number of frontier agri-tech projects.

As the new owner of XA.com, XAG was originally a commercial drone manufacturer founded in 2007 but has now successfully transformed into an intelligent agriculture solution provider with powerful R&D capabilities in aerial robotics, engineering design, RTK navigation, cloud computing, agriculture AI, etc.

From a local drone producer to a global Agri-tech pioneer, XAG adopts XA.com to unfold its ambition for internationalisation and deliver its geek spirits of adventure and perfection. Compared to the earlier domain XAircraft.com, XA.com is simply more than a memorable, easily recognisable online identity. It undoubtedly better carries XAG’s brand value and prospect to shape the future of sustainable agriculture for 7.6 billion people, by unceasingly exploring smart farming technology.

The slow-moving agriculture industry worldwide, however, is facing severe challenges due to a lack of intelligent solutions. China, along with other developing countries, has been suffering from the labour-intensive farming practices and stagnated mechanization level. This results in production inefficiency and overuse of pesticides and natural resources. Meanwhile across the developed world, aging agriculture population and imprecision in farm management haunt many countries.

To tackle such pressing issues, XAG has developed a well-rounded product ecosystem consisting of autonomous Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), Field Monitor and Agriculture IoT System. These cutting-edge technologies can be applied to a wide range of scenarios.

XAG XMission Multifunctional UAS, a centimeter-level surveying drone, can capture HD remote sensing images of farmland with abnormality identified, and AI prescriptions can then be generated automatically for crop spraying. XAG’s flagship product P Series Plant Protection UAS, controlled by AI and equipped with high-accuracy RTK navigation system, can save manual labor, spray pesticides precisely and effectively on the fields without tractors crushing the crops while preventing soil compaction. Field Monitor, combined with IoT and big data system, can monitor crop growth and identify plant diseases to assist farmers in managing fields more scientifically and effectively, hence make agriculture production more traceable.

XAG P Series Plant Protection UAS Spraying in the Fields

Up to 31st December 2018, XAG has had 21,731 agricultural drones operated globally and provided 1.3 million farmers with plant protection services for over 4,253,299 hectares of farmland. Moreover, XAG has been working to build an integrated network of digital farming infrastructures. By 31st January 2019, 997 RTK base stations have been set up to cover China’s main farming areas, providing drones and other autonomous agri-machinery with centimeter-level navigation accuracy. High definition maps of these areas have been captured by surveying UAS for field navigation, efficient field management, smart farming analysis, etc.

As XAG gradually secures a place in the Chinese market, it has been aiming for international expansion on an increasingly larger scale. It is known to have collaborated with industry leaders and authorities to set up research and development centers or test sites across 20 countries.

In Japan with an average agriculture population of over 60 years old, XAG has exclusively joined hands with Bayer to provide 1.37 million farmers with customized UAS plant protection service which is more effective, precise and safer. In Australia, a country hit by pollination crisis due to climate change and thereby the decline of bees, XAG has worked with the local agricultural research team and farms to use drones as “electronic bees” for artificial pollination that turned out to increase fruit yields by 15%.

XAG has also engaged in a series of multinational projects on sustainable farming and economic development. XAG together with Bayer and Alibaba Rural Taobao has initiated a demonstration project “Sustainable Farming Program” to establish a complete, self-sustained smart agriculture ecosystem, in which the most advanced technologies are applied to ensuring an eco-friendly production process and a full-transparent, traceable food value chain. And this April, XAG has entered an even larger stage of public-private cooperation; it joins the World Economic Forum as a member of Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.