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Beijing has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) public computing platform to meet the increasing needs of AI enterprises. The launch comes at a time when expanding the supply of computing power becomes a key focus for China as computational power needs mount with the rise of AI.

The platform, located in Yizhuang, Daxing district of Beijing, is the largest of its kind in the city. It will provide 3,000 petaflops of computing power to support the research, development and application of large-scale AI models, the Beijing Daily reported.

As a part of a broader strategy to develop domestic alternatives to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the new platform enables large language models (LLMs) of AI start-ups in Beijing to train their models quickly, said Yan Min, general manager of the Beijing Yizhuang Smart City Research Institute Group, which is the platform’s developer.

However, as the AI arms race intensifies, tech giants like Meta, Google and OpenAI may run out of data to train their models. According to Epoch, an AI research institute, by 2026, all the high-quality data could be exhausted.

High-quality data is the core element for the development of AI, Liu Gang, chief economist at the Chinese Institute of New Generation AI Development Strategies, told the Global Times on Monday.

“China boasts its data center cluster, which provides assistance for the training of LLMs and the development of AI-related products.

“It’s important to firmly grasp the core of our own AI development. The more data that’s available to train a large language model, the better it would perform,” Liu said.

“China has a strong manufacturing industry, with huge datasets from these enterprises. This is one of our biggest advantages and also the most critical issue for our future industrial competitiveness,” Liu said.

Chinese experts have highlighted the importance of building critical computing power infrastructure to develop and train AI systems.

“AI has become an important driving force of the new round of technological and industrial revolution,” Yu Xiaohui, head of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, told the Global Times on Monday.

Although China ranks second in the scale of computing power globally, there are challenges such as an imperfect match between supply and demand, as well as regional disparities in computing power resources, Yu said.

To resolve such shortages, many regions in China are speeding up the development of the computing power industry. For instance, Shenzhen in South China’s Guangdong Province approved an action plan for accelerating the high-quality development of AI in June 2023. It vows to build urban level intelligent computing power platforms to coordinate the deployment and use of computing resources for AI projects.

China deployed a project called Artificial Intelligence for Science in March 2023, to promote the use of AI in cutting-edge research. Under the project, authorities will promote the innovation of AI models and algorithms for major scientific problems, develop platforms for typical research fields, and build a national open innovation platform for the next generation of AI public computing power, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Artificial intelligence the deciding factor in autonomous driving and manufacturing

Cutting-edge technology like artificial intelligence is key to boosting the advantages of China’s new energy vehicle industry, auto experts and executives noted at an industry forum in Beijing.

Ouyang Minggao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that it is crucial to seize the opportunities presented by AI by promoting advanced driving-assist technology and advancing fully autonomous driving.

He made the remarks at the China EV100 Forum in Beijing earlier this month.

Ouyang, also a Tsinghua professor and vice-president of the China EV 100, said that the application of AI across the life cycle of NEV design, manufacturing, management and recycling is crucial to achieving better quality industry-wide, reduced costs and better efficiency.

China has led automotive electrification worldwide as the global penetration rate of new energy passenger vehicles is around 18 percent, while China’s has surpassed 35 percent.

BYD founder and CEO Wang Chuanfu said at the forum that as Chinese carmakers are strengthening the research and development efforts in NEVs, the number of new vehicle launches is rapidly increasing.

Wang noted that NEVs accounted for more than 48.2 percent of car sales during the week from March 3-10. He estimated that the percentage of NEVs will exceed 50 percent within the next three months, becoming dominant in the market.

Wang said: “Only by laying a solid foundation in electrification can we construct the skyscraper of automotive intelligence.”

As the world’s largest NEV producer, BYD has reduced prices on several models since March, with some priced lower than gasoline-powered vehicles in the same segment.

An Conghui, chairman of Geely Auto Group, said intelligent connected NEVs represent a more advanced form of productivity, not just a replacement for traditional fuel vehicles.

“Electric vehicles may appear to have fewer components than traditional gasoline vehicles — they actually contain billions of lines of code and hold countless diverse demand scenarios waiting to be explored,” he said.

An said Geely aspires to “become Volkswagen AG in the era of NEVs “because of its capabilities in global synergy.

Among Chinese carmakers, Geely ranks first in terms of globalization with a big number of brands, from its namesake Geely, Lynk & Co and Zeekr to Lotus, Polestar and Volvo.

EV startup Xpeng is considered the leading driving-assist solution provider nationwide. Its advanced driving-assist system XNGP had an 83 percent monthly active user rate as of February. It also excels in controlling costs for intelligent driving and aims to achieve a 50 percent cost reduction by the end of 2024 through technological innovation, according to CEO He Xiaopeng.

He said that the next decade will be about competition in intelligence. The turning point for advanced intelligent driving will arrive within the next 18 months.

He added that intelligent driving currently requires human intervention around 10 times per 100 kilometers on average, but this should drop to at least once in the future.

Xpeng’s AI driving large model will be integrated into vehicles in the second quarter of this year, the first mass-produced implementation of its kind in the auto industry.

He also announced at the forum that Xpeng will launch a new brand with vehicles priced at 100,000 yuan ($13,890) to 150,000 yuan, which will feature the company’s high-level intelligent driving-assist system, aimed at the younger generation.

Cars with similar prices might be developed into fully autonomous vehicles in the future, he said.

Xpeng’s success with XNGP was contested by Huawei. Yu Chengdong, head of Huawei’s smart vehicle unit, said at the forum: “Xpeng has shown excellence domestically in intelligent parking and driving, but we aim to innovate with our advanced intelligent driving system, and our cabin and driving experiences are acknowledged as top-notch.”

Yu Chengdong added that due to supply chain issues and other factors, Huawei’s intelligent driving system remains relatively costly, posing challenges for vehicles to be priced below 300,000 yuan.

Huawei’s smart car business, which lost 6 billion yuan in 2023, is expected to turn a profit this year, thanks to strong sales of high-end models codeveloped with partners like Seres.

Horizon Robotics founder and CEO Yu Kai said that competitive next-generation autonomous driving systems should be evaluated on their pass rate in standard scenarios, efficiency of passage and humanlike behavior to ensure comfort and familiarity for people.

The chipmaker seized a 35.5 percent share in the driving-assist segment in 2023, second only to Nvidia.

There are more than 110 models that sport their chips, with the number continuing to increase. Its clients include BYD and Li Auto, Yu Kai said.

Since the first season of the Netflix TV adaptation of Liu Cixin’s Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy came out, it has sparked intense discussion in countries including Japan, the United States, France and Germany, where the books have made a lot of fans.

On Wednesday, the English translation of The Three-Body Problem, the first book in the trilogy and the focus of the adaptation, became the number 1 best-selling book in Amazon’s literary fiction section and rose to 11th place on the list of general bestsellers. Chen Feng, rights manager at China Education Publications Import & Export Co Ltd, the international agent for the trilogy, said that this is its best performance ever and that as of June, translations of the trilogy into 35 languages have sold 4 million copies worldwide.

Other work by Liu has also been translated into a number of languages, including novels like Ball Lightning and The Supernova Era, and short story collections To Hold Up the Sky and The Wandering Earth.

Hong Kong gathering brings region’s industry players together for cultural exchange and new projects

Phasit Wacharatham is keen to explore more coproduction opportunities with Chinese partners.

Phasit, founder and chief executive of Locman2011, a film-production company in Thailand, said he expects to see more coproduction in Asia’s film and TV industry. He was in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region last month for the Hong Kong International Film and TV Market, or Filmart, a cross-media, cross-industry trading platform.

“We met representatives of film production companies from Beijing, Nanjing and Hong Kong and discussed plans for future cooperation,” said Phasit, whose company works mainly with Chinese customers in film, streaming media, drama and TV commercials.

Filmart, held from March 11 to 14 and organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, attracted more than 7,500 participants from 50 countries and regions. There were 760 exhibitors from 27 countries and regions.

During the event, leading Chinese TV production companies such as Linmon Pictures announced plans for overseas projects, including Under the Skin, a Thai remake of a Chinese series, and the local series The Fairest Lady.

During Filmart Linmon Pictures also showcased the trailer for the Thai remake of its popular drama series Nothing but Thirty.

“I think there will be more coproduced films in the Asian market,” Phasit said, noting that there are already Chinese movies starring Thai actors and Singaporean movies filmed in Thailand.

Locman2011 has worked with Chinese partners to produce films such as Thai Flavor and Kuang Zhan, TV series such as The Doll Master, and commercials for Chinese brands, including the dairy company Yili Group and the technology company Huawei.

Before Phasit set up his own company in 2011 he worked with the Matching Studio Public Company, now known as Matching Maximize Solution Public Company, a media producer in Thailand, and has rich experience in working with industry professionals from various countries, China in particular.

“Over the next five years we hope to work with Chinese companies to coproduce works worth no less than 1 billion baht ($27.45 million),” Phasit said.

The production capacity of the Asian film market will further expand and there will be more collaboration between investors and film production houses, he said.

Asia plays an important role in the global film and TV industry, with China being the world’s second-biggest box office market and Japan being the third-biggest. India’s Bollywood movies have achieved global popularity, and movies from South Korea and Japan have gained international recognition by winning Oscars.

Revenue of the Asia-Pacific video industry is estimated to have reached $145 billion last year, a figure forecast to rise to $165 billion annually by 2028, the consultancy Media Partners Asia said in a report.

A Buddhist association from the island of Taiwan donated 30 lost relics to the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) at a donation ceremony held at the National Museum of China (NMC) on Monday, showcasing the cultural bonds between the Chinese mainland and the island of Taiwan.

Selected from precious lost artifacts collected from various sources overseas in recent years, the United Association of Humanistic Buddhism, Chunghua donated a total of 30 colored sculptures dating from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to the NCHA, according to a document that the NMC sent to the Global Times on Monday night.

About 250 officials and guests from both the mainland and the island of Taiwan attended the ceremony. They pointed out that these artifacts bear witness to the profound historical and splendid and diverse cultural heritage of China. This donation once again underscores the deep-seated love and profound reverence of the island’s people for Chinese culture, the document noted.

Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, expressed appreciation for the efforts of Taiwan compatriots from all walks of life in protecting Chinese cultural relics and inheriting and promoting Chinese culture.

He emphasized that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits are all Chinese people, and the magnificent Chinese culture is “our common foundation, pride, wealth, and soul.”

He called on compatriots on both sides to comprehend the overall situation of history, uphold national righteousness, firmly oppose “independence” and promote reunification, so as to unite and advance together and jointly promote the peaceful reunification of the motherland and create a better future for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The Taiwan guests said that Buddhist culture is an important part of traditional Chinese culture and that the collection and protection of these artifacts represent the inheritance of Chinese culture.

This donation event reflects the inheritance of the patriotic feelings of the older generation of venerable monks such as the late Master Hsing Yun by the younger generation. In 2014, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order, donated a national first-level cultural relic, a Buddha head statue from the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577), to the NCHA. The donation ceremony was held at the NMC in March 2016, attracting wide attention from all sectors of society across the Straits, according to the document.

The guests from the Buddhist association hope that the return of these artifacts will bring an opportunity for peace, harmony and unity across the Taiwan Straits. They also expressed their hope for more interactions, exchanges and visits between compatriots on both sides of the Straits, accumulating mutual trust and goodwill, and jointly promoting the revitalization of Chinese culture.

China has had over 1.09 billion netizens by the end of last year, 24.8 million more than the amount in 2022, a report released by the China Internet Network Information Center said on Friday.

The report showed that 2,577 websites and mobile phone applications optimized functions and provided barrier-free services for old and disabled users last year so that these people could benefit more from the internet.

Digital technologies have also been widely applied in public services, such as travel and healthcare, making more people live better lives, according to the report.

The numbers of netizens using online car-hailing and medical services increased significantly last year, up 90.57 million and 51.39 million respectively from December 2022, it said.

In addition, the rapid growth of the internet has stimulated consumption and promoted the sustainable development of the digital economy, it said.

As of December, for example, the number of users making online travel reservations reached 509 million, up 86.29 million from December 2022, it added.

Wang Changqing, an official from the center, said while introducing the report that live streaming platforms have become major channels to advance economic and cultural development.

For instance, in March last year, a large number of internet users watched basketball matches organized by Guizhou province through livestreaming platforms, attracting more people to visit the province and contributing a lot to local tourism, he added.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong established an innovation center on Tuesday that will use artificial intelligence technology to help the city pick those with the potential to be elite athletes in various sports and monitor their recovery from sports injuries.

The Global Sports and Wellness Innovation Centre will apply AI-based automatic retinal image analysis in the sports arena.

The technology, developed by the university in 2015, can provide insights into abilities related to cognition, concentration, physical strength, speed, agility, reaction time, balance and coordination.

The indicators can be factored into predictions of an athlete’s performance in various sports and during competitions, and can also be used to assess minor injuries from concussions during contact sports.

The center also plans to use AI technology to monitor athletes’ recovery from sports injuries, with a view of early intervention and the formulation of recovery plans.

The center was established with cooperation from enterprises and academic institutions in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

The enterprises are AquaBloom International Sports Technology Group, Innovax Holding Ltd, responsible for sourcing capital and resources for the center’s projects, and Funeng Intelligent Manufacturing (Beijing) Technology Service Co Ltd, which is responsible for producing a one-stop manufacturing service — including the production of equipment for taking retinal images.

Carlos Law, Funeng’s deputy general manager, said mass production of the equipment could be realized this year with sufficient funding.

Benny Zee Chung-ying, director of the Centre for Clinical Research and Biostatistics at the university’s Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, said: “The innovation center, an embodiment of industry-university research collaboration, will help Hong Kong’s sports sector to identify elite athletes and bring out their potential while promoting the development of sports-related technology.”

Zee said he hopes the center will also help promote the economy and academic development in Hong Kong.

The development of sports will create jobs and business opportunities and also benefit public health, he said.

Zee said the technology is mature and can identify risks of stroke and depression, so widespread application could benefit the whole world.

Sports technology will be the start, he said, with other sectors such as traditional Chinese medicine to be explored in the future.

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A bag that contained potentially sensitive security plans for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was stolen on Monday from a train at the Gare du Nord station.

Confirming a report by BFM television, police sources revealed on Tuesday that the bag in question belonged to a 56-year-old engineer from Paris City Hall.

In his report to the police, the individual explained that he had placed the bag in the overhead luggage compartment of his seat during his journey around 7:30 pm on Monday.

When the engineer decided to change trains due to a delay, he discovered the theft, realizing that his work computer and two USB drives, which contained data including the municipal police’s organizational plans for securing the Olympics, had been stolen, Agence France-Presse reported.

According to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter who spoke to Reuters, the bag containing the stolen items was taken on a suburban train. However, the sensitivity of the data remains uncertain, as the sources were unable to provide specific details.

The regional transport police have initiated an investigation into the incident, AFP said. To enhance security during the Paris Olympics, due to start on July 26, exceptional measures will be implemented, including the utilization of intelligent, algorithmic video surveillance technologies.

The comprehensive security strategy will involve a daily deployment of approximately 35,000 security force personnel, with 2,000 municipal police officers specifically assigned to safeguard the event.

Paris’ military governor has revealed plans to deploy a temporary camp of 10,000 military personnel in the Bois de Vincennes public park located in eastern Paris, as part of security arrangements for the Olympics.

As a result of these measures, residents can anticipate certain zones being accessible only via QR codes, along with other security restrictions.

The government has further advised Parisians to refrain from having parcels delivered during the Games, which are scheduled to run until Aug 11, followed by the Paralympic Games from Aug 28 to Sept 8.

For the first time in Olympic history, the opening ceremony of the Games will take place outside of a sports stadium. The spectacle of boats carrying athletes along the River Seine is expected to draw as many as 600,000 spectators.

(ECNS) — The Chinese swimming team composed of Pan Zhanle, Wang Haoyu, Li Bingjie, and Yu Yiting won the championship with 3 minutes 21.18 seconds in the final of the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay at the Doha 2024 World Aquatics Championships on Saturday, breaking the Asian record set by the team in the preliminaries.

Traditionally, the Chinese team is not strong at the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay and it had never won a medal in this event at the World Championships before.

This marks the fourth relay gold medal for the Chinese swimming team at the Doha World Championships.

In the preliminaries, the Chinese team’s record was 3 minutes 24.47 seconds, breaking the Asian record previously held by the Japanese team (3 minutes 24.67 seconds),  advancing to the finals in first ranking.

Newly appointed head coach for Team China Branko Ivankovic is aiming at steering Team China to the soccer World Cup finals, and the 70-year-old Croatian hopes the squad can regain confidence to fulfill the goal.

“Our first goal is to get into the next round of qualification, but our ultimate goal is to build a new national team that is strong enough to get into the World Cup finals,” Ivankovic said on Friday at his first media conference as head coach in Tianjin.

“China has been investing heavily in soccer, but the results we have are not satisfying. Asian soccer is progressing fast, but I believe the Chinese team can still have its place in Asia. And the Chinese players are making some progress. I have been observing the squad for a while, and I’m sure they can produce better results.”

Being appointed as the new Team China head coach in late February, Ivankovic’s first task is to lead Team China to victories at back-to-back qualifier matches against Singapore on March 21 and 26. The national team will fly to Singapore for the first qualifier, before heading to Tianjin for a home game.

The length of Ivankovic’s tenure will be dependent on results, with a clause in his contract reportedly allowing the CFA to terminate the deal if the team suffers an early exit in qualification.

The coaching team for the upcoming qualifiers will be a combination of an Ivankovic selection and Chinese coaches.

“I’m very proud to become the head coach of Team China. I believe with the joint efforts of everyone, we can bring better performance and results, which is also the hope of fans,” said Ivankovic.

“The position means great responsibility and challenges to me. With the help of the entire coaching team I hope to meet the expectations of all.”

Team China opened the second round of its World Cup qualifying campaign in November with a 2-1 win over Thailand before losing 3-0 to South Korea, in a match it was not expected to pick up any points in. China currently ranks third in Group C.

“The preparation time for us is very limited. And the Chinese Super League also just started. The players are not at their peaks. We need to have a training camp and adjust our players to their peak conditions,” the coach added.