https://www.scmp.com/rss/520306/feed As China bets on tech and innovation to drive its growth, it has placed its chips on several industrial sectors that are expected to play increasingly important roles in development and trade, which will bring fresh opportunities and challenges for stakeholders. SCMP’s China Future Tech is your go-to destination for the latest news, insights, and opinions on these select industries. Explore in-depth coverage of EVs, AI, semiconductors, aerospace, robotics and biomedicine sectors. Follow us to... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Wency Chen,Zhang Tong Wency Chen,Zhang Tong China is counting on artificial intelligence (AI) to help the 450 million people living in rural areas left behind by the nation’s economic boom. Farmers are already benefiting from the technology, using AI offerings such as DeepSeek or ByteDance’s Doubao for help with issues like pig rearing, pest control and government subsidies. The State Council’s “No 1 document” of 2026, extended a push for the “digital upgrading” of farming, with an emphasis on the greater integration of AI, drones, robots... https://www.scmp.com/plus/tech/tech-trends/article/3346713/ai-narrow-chinas-rural-urban-economic-divide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/tech/tech-trends/article/3346713/ai-narrow-chinas-rural-urban-economic-divide?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 07:00:11 +0000 Julie Zhang,Alice Li Julie Zhang,Alice Li In barely a decade, China has transformed from a maker of cheap generic copies of Western medicines into a global powerhouse of pharmaceutical innovation. The country now only trails the United States in novel drugs under development, with a 29 per cent share, according to McKinsey. International pharmaceutical companies are beating a path to China’s shores to license next-generation treatments for cancer, autoimmune diseases and other disorders. Government support, including regulatory and... https://www.scmp.com/plus/business/china-business/article/3342868/china-challenges-us-new-drugs-after-industry-transformation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/business/china-business/article/3342868/china-challenges-us-new-drugs-after-industry-transformation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 04:45:08 +0000 Victoria Bela,Stephen Chen Victoria Bela,Stephen Chen Four Chinese groups are racing to build global satellite communications infrastructure to challenge the considerable head start made by US tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink. The two leaders for China so far are the central-government-backed GuoWang and Shanghai-backed Qianfan. They have the most satellites in orbit and plans to eventually deploy more than 10,000 apiece. Carmaker Geely’s Geespace also has satellites in space. The fourth group, Hongqing Technology, 48 per cent owned by... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china-future-tech/aerospace/article/3340638/chinese-rivals-musks-starlink-wrestle-rocket-constraints?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china-future-tech/aerospace/article/3340638/chinese-rivals-musks-starlink-wrestle-rocket-constraints?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 04:45:12 +0000 Wency Chen,Xinmei Shen Wency Chen,Xinmei Shen Humanoid robot guides, stair-climbing robo-vacuum cleaners and exoskeletons for hikers were all among the exhibits at the world’s largest electronics show as artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly finds a role in the physical world. Chinese companies made up about a quarter of the 4,000-plus exhibitors at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), underlining how the country is at the forefront of developments that could turn AI-powered robots into mainstream household items. The large Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3339813/humanoid-robot-guides-hiker-exoskeletons-ces-2026-round?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3339813/humanoid-robot-guides-hiker-exoskeletons-ces-2026-round?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 04:11:13 +0000 Yujie Xue,Mia Nurmamat Yujie Xue,Mia Nurmamat Wind turbines in blustery Tibet are a symbol of China’s rapid investment in renewable energy. The only problem is that much of this potential power goes to waste. Thirty per cent of Tibetan wind energy was lost in the first 10 months of last year, as production had to be paused to avoid overloading the power network. Sunny Qinghai province similarly had to curtail 16.4 per cent of its solar energy in the same period, according to China’s National Energy Administration. China is seeking to... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3338885/china-ai-mega-batteries-stoke-renewables-power-drive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3338885/china-ai-mega-batteries-stoke-renewables-power-drive?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jan 2026 01:00:15 +0000 Paul Buck Paul Buck The United States and China are racing to put humans on the moon for the first time since 1972 in a competition that goes far beyond technological bragging rights. Both countries are seeking to set up lunar bases that could be used to explore the moon and other points in the solar system. The moon also contains potentially valuable raw materials, including rare earth minerals and helium-3, a possible super-fuel, adding an economic and geopolitical edge to the lunar race. “If we fall behind, if... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336898/lunar-race-pits-china-against-us-humans-seek-return-moon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336898/lunar-race-pits-china-against-us-humans-seek-return-moon?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 08:07:11 +0000 Ann Cao,Ben Jiang Ann Cao,Ben Jiang Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) pose questions about whether computers will be able to match – or even surpass – human ability, and how people will be able to retain control of systems vastly smarter than themselves. The first key tipping point will be the arrival of artificial general intelligence (AGI), where machines match human intelligence and possess the ability to perform any intellectual task that a person can do, such as reasoning, learning and adapting across diverse... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336173/china-chases-superintelligent-ai-without-sci-fi-movie-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336173/china-chases-superintelligent-ai-without-sci-fi-movie-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 05:18:32 +0000 Yujie Xue,Coco Feng,Mandy Zuo Yujie Xue,Coco Feng,Mandy Zuo Drones, unmanned aircraft and flying cars are taking to the sky in China, as the country taps new technology to pare congestion, speed deliveries and create new opportunities for economic growth. Pilotless drones carry food to tourists on the Great Wall of China and help farmers improve yields among other tasks, while unmanned aircraft fly sightseers around major cities and ferry construction materials to remote mountain sites. China’s first flying-car factory has also opened in recent months,... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3335152/flying-cars-take-china-extends-drone-market-domination?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3335152/flying-cars-take-china-extends-drone-market-domination?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 04:50:58 +0000 Ben Jiang,Ann Cao Ben Jiang,Ann Cao Smart glasses have been technology’s “next big thing” for at least a decade without actually getting very far. Chinese companies now hope that new developments in artificial intelligence (AI) could make the sector take off. Start-ups, such as Rokid, Xreal, Meizu and Rayneo, have introduced AI-powered smart glasses in China this year, along with established tech giants Xiaomi, Baidu and Alibaba. Facebook owner Meta, the global market leader, also debuted the AI-powered Meta Ray-Ban Display... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3334327/smart-glasses-makers-see-ai-long-awaited-killer-app?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3334327/smart-glasses-makers-see-ai-long-awaited-killer-app?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 08:00:13 +0000 Coco Feng,Luna Sun Coco Feng,Luna Sun China is walking away in the humanoid robot race, while Elon Musk’s Tesla struggles to get to the starting line. Xpeng, Unitree Robotics and other Chinese robot makers are in or near mass production of ever more sophisticated robots, and already chalking up orders worth more than US$100 million. By contrast, the sales debut for Tesla’s Optimus has slipped into 2026 after repeated delays. In very public shows of progress, Chinese humanoid robots have this year danced alongside humans for a... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3333635/chinas-humanoid-robots-enter-workforce-tesla-wait-goes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3333635/chinas-humanoid-robots-enter-workforce-tesla-wait-goes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 05:15:09 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Hangzhou-based AI and augmented-reality (AR) glasses maker Rokid on Thursday unveiled a lightweight, AI-powered eyewear device built in partnership with Chinese eyewear brand Bolon, as rivals race to make smart glasses the next mass-market device after the smartphone. The new model features a 38.5g D-shaped black frame and supports customised prescription lenses, allowing it to be worn like a regular pair of sunglasses with a more fashion-focused look. It includes a physical control button and a... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3332766/smartphones-smart-glasses-rokids-latest-ai-frames-join-chinas-new-device-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3332766/smartphones-smart-glasses-rokids-latest-ai-frames-join-chinas-new-device-race?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 06:30:09 +0000 Paul Buck Paul Buck Elon Musk’s SpaceX faces a looming challenge from China as the nation’s space industry races to develop reusable rockets. At least seven Chinese start-ups and two state-owned developers are preparing to blast reusable rockets into orbit, posing a potential threat to SpaceX’s dominant grip on the commercial satellite launch market. The Musk company ushered in the reusable rocket era a decade ago by successfully returning a Falcon 9 rocket stage to the launch site. Reusable rockets are key to... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3332607/musks-spacex-faces-china-threat-reusable-rocket-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3332607/musks-spacex-faces-china-threat-reusable-rocket-race?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 07:20:10 +0000 Frank Chen,Stephen Chen,Dannie Peng Frank Chen,Stephen Chen,Dannie Peng China is leading the way in nuclear power, with huge plans to boost its generating capacity and cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs. About half of the world’s under-construction nuclear power plants are in China as the country works to boost electricity production while still meeting commitments under the Paris climate accord. The goal is to raise nuclear’s share of national power supply to 28 per cent by 2050 from about 5 per cent now. Chinese research has enhanced nuclear power, including a... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3331870/chinas-nuclear-power-plans-match-rest-world-combined?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3331870/chinas-nuclear-power-plans-match-rest-world-combined?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 04:35:08 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Chinese artificial intelligence start-up Zhipu AI, marketed internationally as Z.ai, has seen the number of paid users overseas increase tenfold over the past two months, the head of its global operations said, in a sign of the growing appeal of Chinese AI services among global users. The Beijing-based company now has around 100,000 monthly API – or application programming interface – users, as well as 3 million free chatbot users overseas, following the launch of its flagship GLM-4.6 model, Li... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3331324/zhipu-ai-sees-tenfold-surge-overseas-users-chinese-ai-gains-traction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3331324/zhipu-ai-sees-tenfold-surge-overseas-users-chinese-ai-gains-traction?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 03:00:09 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong Imagine a meeting with a colleague on the other side of the world where you can shake hands in real time as holograms. That’s one of the promises of 6th generation (6G) cellular network technology, an in-development communication system able to handle unprecedented amounts of data at speeds 100 times faster than 5G. The technology, set to hit the market around 2030, will also be ultra-reliable, with an end to buffering, lags and disconnections. China leads the world in the development of 6G,... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3331271/china-races-towards-6g-networks-near-limitless-instant-data?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3331271/china-races-towards-6g-networks-near-limitless-instant-data?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 03:54:07 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin Chinese researchers are at the forefront of developments in quantum computing, a superfast processing technology that could help to solve seemingly intractable challenges such as nuclear fusion and climate change. Origin Quantum has already used quantum computing in breast cancer mammography screening, producing high-dimensional medical imaging data “exponentially faster” than traditional computers and paring false-positive rates. The Hefei-based company has also used the technology in... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3329772/chinese-quantum-computer-cracks-billion-year-problems-seconds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3329772/chinese-quantum-computer-cracks-billion-year-problems-seconds?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 08:15:11 +0000 Daniel Ren,Yujie Xue Daniel Ren,Yujie Xue Chinese robotaxi companies are outpacing US competitors in overseas markets after successfully ramping up services at home. Baidu’s Apollo Go, Pony.ai and WeRide have all pushed into the Middle East and Europe, while US-based Waymo focuses more on domestic services. The three Chinese companies are also working to introduce their driverless cars in other Asian markets. China has leapt to the lead in robotaxis thanks to its huge market of more than 1.4 billion people, supportive government... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3328923/chinas-robotaxis-lead-race-overseas-markets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3328923/chinas-robotaxis-lead-race-overseas-markets?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 07:00:10 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Chinese companies are stepping out of Nvidia’s chipmaking shadow by developing processors that play a different role in artificial intelligence (AI). Application-specific integrated circuits, or ASICs, do the work when AI systems interact with the real world, for instance, performing real-time video analysis in autonomous vehicles, surveillance or surgery. The chips are custom-designed to do that one specific task as efficiently as possible. By contrast, Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs)... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3327767/ai-accelerators-offer-opportunity-china-chipmakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3327767/ai-accelerators-offer-opportunity-china-chipmakers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 08:42:26 +0000 Ling Xin,Dannie Peng Ling Xin,Dannie Peng China’s “artificial sun” is at the forefront of efforts to harness a dream energy source – nuclear fusion. The doughnut-shaped facility, called a tokamak, uses super-powerful magnets to control hot, charged gas plasma at temperatures more than six times hotter than the centre of the sun. It has sustained plasma for more than 17 minutes at a temperature of over 100 million degrees Celsius (180 million degrees Fahrenheit), smashing the previous record, according to a statement earlier this... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3326498/chinas-artificial-sun-aims-limitless-nuclear-fusion-energy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3326498/chinas-artificial-sun-aims-limitless-nuclear-fusion-energy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 07:00:09 +0000 Ben Jiang,Danielle Popov Ben Jiang,Danielle Popov Your next work colleague may soon be an AI agent. These digital applications are similar to proactive assistants that can understand a user’s needs and act on their behalf. They can perform real-world tasks with little or no human intervention, putting them a step beyond artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, which just answer questions and collate data. China has been at the forefront of AI agent development, notably with the March launch of Manus by Beijing start-up Butterfly Effect. This... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3325685/user-friendly-and-autonomous-ai-agents-ready-handle-any-task?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3325685/user-friendly-and-autonomous-ai-agents-ready-handle-any-task?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Sep 2025 07:00:10 +0000 Eric Ng,Xinmei Shen Eric Ng,Xinmei Shen Chinese biotech companies are winning deals with global giants as they spearhead the race to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) in the search for new and effective drugs. In the past five months alone, British drug maker AstraZeneca, US rival Pfizer and biotech firm DoveTree Medicines have signed deals potentially worth a combined US$22 billion with four China-based companies using AI-assisted drug discovery. Three of the Chinese businesses are listed on the Hong Kong stock market. China’s... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3324862/ai-turns-china-biotechs-drug-discovery-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3324862/ai-turns-china-biotechs-drug-discovery-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 07:00:13 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li China and Pakistan have pledged to expand trade and deepen technological cooperation in areas ranging from agriculture to space exploration, at a time when Islamabad is warming to the United States. During a meeting on Thursday with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Premier Li Qiang said Beijing would advance the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative. “Global instability and uncertainty have grown... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3324517/china-pakistan-pledge-stronger-tech-and-trade-cooperation-amid-us-charm-offensive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3324517/china-pakistan-pledge-stronger-tech-and-trade-cooperation-amid-us-charm-offensive?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 12:30:11 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China’s push to become a biotech powerhouse is paying off, with innovative R&D pipelines and newly approved drugs accounting for over 30 per cent of the global total, according to the country’s top economic planner. The sector was showing strong momentum, said Xiang Libin, deputy chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), who cited the figures at the 17th China Bioindustry Convention in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Thursday. China’s bioeconomy, encompassing the research,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3324465/china-closes-biotech-gap-us-new-drugs-rd-pipelines-top-30-global-total?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3324465/china-closes-biotech-gap-us-new-drugs-rd-pipelines-top-30-global-total?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 07:30:16 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Chinese pharmaceutical companies are beginning to challenge Western giants in the weight-loss drugs market, fuelled by domestic demand from the world’s largest population of overweight and obese people. More than 60 late-stage weight-loss drug candidates are undergoing clinical trials in China, according to Boston-based L.E.K. Consulting, creating potential competition for Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide (marketed as Wegovy for weight loss and Ozempic for treating type 2 diabetes) and Eli Lilly’s... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3324006/china-goes-big-weight-loss-drugs-novo-eli-lilly-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3324006/china-goes-big-weight-loss-drugs-novo-eli-lilly-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 06:02:15 +0000 Ann Cao,Wency Chen Ann Cao,Wency Chen Chinese chipmakers are trying to catch up with Nvidia in the market for artificial intelligence (AI) processors, spurred by government efforts to achieve technological self-sufficiency and US trade embargoes that prevent China from buying advanced chips. Telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies, Cambricon Technologies and Enflame Technology are among companies at the forefront of the Chinese chip push. Local internet giants Baidu, Tencent and South China Morning Post owner Alibaba have also... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3323164/china-chipmakers-seek-loosen-nvidias-ai-stranglehold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3323164/china-chipmakers-seek-loosen-nvidias-ai-stranglehold?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Aug 2025 07:40:38 +0000 Mia Nulimaimaiti Mia Nulimaimaiti Hangzhou, in China’s Zhejiang province, will introduce mandatory artificial intelligence (AI) courses for primary and secondary schools starting in the new semester – part of a nationwide strategy to nurture talent in the rapidly growing sector. The initiative seeks to build a talent pipeline while improving educators’ ability to use smart tools and protect data, covering both student and teacher training, according to two documents released by the city’s education bureau. Schools will have... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3323082/chinas-hangzhou-makes-ai-classes-compulsory-schools-amid-nationwide-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3323082/chinas-hangzhou-makes-ai-classes-compulsory-schools-amid-nationwide-push?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Aug 2025 01:00:13 +0000 Aileen Chuang Aileen Chuang Alibaba Group Holding plans to spin off its Banma Network Technology unit through an initial public offering (IPO), as one of China’s largest technology behemoths moves ahead with a separate listing for its autonomous driving unit to raise capital. Alibaba has received an initial go-ahead from the Hong Kong stock exchange for the proposed spin-off, the company said in a statement on Thursday. The stake held by the Hangzhou-based conglomerate in Banma will drop to 30 per cent from the current... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3322596/alibaba-spin-its-banma-autonomous-driving-business-ipo-hong-kong-exchange?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3322596/alibaba-spin-its-banma-autonomous-driving-business-ipo-hong-kong-exchange?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 04:00:12 +0000 Coco Feng,Mia Nulimaimaiti Coco Feng,Mia Nulimaimaiti The explosive growth in artificial intelligence (AI) requires a corresponding increase in data centres and energy infrastructure to host and power new applications. This boom will fuel compound growth in the global scale of computing power of 50 per cent per year between 2023 and 2030, according to research firm International Data Corporation. Computing power refers to the capacity of computer processors to perform tasks. The US-China tech war is stoking huge investments in data centres, which... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3322356/china-us-lead-ai-fuelled-data-centre-construction-surge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3322356/china-us-lead-ai-fuelled-data-centre-construction-surge?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 08:10:56 +0000 Mandy Zuo,He Huifeng Mandy Zuo,He Huifeng A white metal robot trundling up and down a cotton field in Xinjiang represents the future of Chinese agriculture. The boxlike machine is the world’s first cotton-topping robot, automating the laborious and error-prone process of removing plants’ top buds to redirect nutrients towards lateral branches, boosting boll formation and yields. The experimental machine, unveiled in July, has achieved 98.9 per cent accuracy in bud detection and 82 per cent success in topping, development team leader... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3321549/farming-robots-help-china-feed-clothe-shrinking-population?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3321549/farming-robots-help-china-feed-clothe-shrinking-population?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Aug 2025 07:11:06 +0000 Yujie Xue,Daniel Ren Yujie Xue,Daniel Ren Electric vehicle (EV) makers in China, the world’s biggest market, are increasingly targeting Europe and emerging markets amid price wars and overcapacity at home, and tariff barriers in North America. China’s auto exports grew 23 per cent last year to 6.4 million units, aided by a 28 per cent jump in shipments to Russia and Belarus, and a 61 per cent surge in the Middle East, according to AlixPartners. Turkey and Mexico are also among China’s five fastest-growing export markets, including for... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3320779/chinas-ev-makers-look-overseas-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3320779/chinas-ev-makers-look-overseas-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Aug 2025 07:10:08 +0000 Zhang Tong,Shi Huang,Xinmei Shen Zhang Tong,Shi Huang,Xinmei Shen China has joined the United States in a race to develop technology that could help transform the lives of millions who suffer from debilitating brain injuries or neurodegenerative diseases. In Shanghai this year, a quadruple amputee played a video game through a brain implant that channels his thoughts. Elsewhere, researchers from Tianjin and Beijing inserted implants in 10 volunteers that allowed two-way communication so the brain and machine could learn from each other. Brain-computer... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3319931/china-makes-strides-brain-computer-interface-tech-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3319931/china-makes-strides-brain-computer-interface-tech-race?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jul 2025 07:00:08 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China has officially recognised “drone flight planner” as a profession amid a talent crunch in the low-altitude economy – a sector the government sees as a new engine of growth. The role is among 17 newly designated occupations announced by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, alongside positions such as cross-border e-commerce operation manager and elderly care service worker. “The newly designated profession of a drone flight planner primarily involves planning multi-drone... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3319563/chinas-booming-low-altitude-economy-spurs-demand-drone-flight-planners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3319563/chinas-booming-low-altitude-economy-spurs-demand-drone-flight-planners?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Jul 2025 02:00:13 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin A strange thing happened when a team of scientists folded a series of ultra-thin sheets of graphene in their laboratory in China. The researchers from the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics found that friction did not increase as the material got thicker. In fact, some of the thicker folds slid more easily. The revelation was a bonus for the team – not only had they become the first to directly observe friction between solid materials at the quantum level, they had seen something that could... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3319438/first-chinese-team-captures-rare-quantum-friction-effect-folded-graphene?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3319438/first-chinese-team-captures-rare-quantum-friction-effect-folded-graphene?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Jul 2025 02:00:15 +0000 Ben Jiang,Wency Chen Ben Jiang,Wency Chen The pending resumption of Nvidia H20 chip sales to China promises to clear a major stumbling block that had threatened to derail the nation’s booming artificial intelligence sector. A shortage of H20s in China was beginning to bite as developers were unable to access chips vital for the creation of new products. DeepSeek, for instance, reportedly delayed a new version of its artificial intelligence (AI) model due to a dearth of the Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs). Trump ended the... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3318526/nvidia-chips-return-stokes-chinese-ai-boom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3318526/nvidia-chips-return-stokes-chinese-ai-boom?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 07:00:09 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li As the dust barely settles on “Made in China 2025”, Beijing is intensifying its quest for technological supremacy with a focus on “future industries” amid its escalating rivalry with the United States. Authorities are pushing boundaries in their pursuit of a new growth model centred on technological breakthroughs and industrial upgrades. What are “future industries”? First introduced by President Xi Jinping in 2020, the term refers to sectors with foundational technologies still in their infancy... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3317889/what-are-chinas-future-industries-and-why-they-matter-global-tech-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3317889/what-are-chinas-future-industries-and-why-they-matter-global-tech-race?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jul 2025 01:00:08 +0000 Yujie Xue,Victoria Bela,Dannie Peng Yujie Xue,Victoria Bela,Dannie Peng China, the biggest maker of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage, is in a leading position in the new race to develop two new technologies – sodium-ion batteries and solid-state. The new technologies hold out the promise of lower costs, higher capacity and less fire risk than traditional lithium-ion batteries, which could boost adoption of EVs and renewable energy sources. Energy-storage batteries are vital in managing fluctuating power supplies from weather-dependent solar... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3317638/china-plugs-next-generation-batteries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3317638/china-plugs-next-generation-batteries?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jul 2025 07:00:07 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen Worker bees carry nectar sacks weighing 80 per cent of their body mass. When airborne, they tuck their hind legs like landing gear to cut wind drag. And they can fly 5km (3 miles) with no need for rest, an example of how nature’s genius shames human machinery. Until now. At Beijing Institute of Technology, Professor Zhao Jieliang’s team has built the world’s lightest insect brain controller. At 74 milligrams, it is lighter than a sack of nectar. Strapped to the bee’s back, the device pierces its... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3317614/chinese-scientists-create-first-cyborg-bee-worlds-lightest-brain-controller?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3317614/chinese-scientists-create-first-cyborg-bee-worlds-lightest-brain-controller?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jul 2025 06:00:11 +0000 Coco Feng,Xinmei Shen,Zhao Ziwen Coco Feng,Xinmei Shen,Zhao Ziwen Artificial intelligence (AI) is spreading everywhere – in our homes and workplaces, and in our social media feeds – but who governs how it is used around the world remains in question. Are there, or will there be, common rules? For now, it would seem not. Earlier this year, the Trump administration and the UK refused to join China and more than 60 other countries in signing an international declaration at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris promoting “inclusive” and “sustainable”... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3316773/artificial-intelligence-oversight-divides-china-us-policymakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3316773/artificial-intelligence-oversight-divides-china-us-policymakers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 07:00:13 +0000 Luna Sun,Yujie Xue,Daniel Ren Luna Sun,Yujie Xue,Daniel Ren Early on in Ridley Scott’s 1982 science fiction film Blade Runner, LAPD officer Gaff (Edward James Olmos) sets down his Spinner flying car to pick up fellow officer Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford). He’s needed to hunt down a group of humanoid robots known as “replicants” who have gone rogue. The film is set in 2019 and when that year came, reality hadn’t caught up. In 2025, it’s getting closer. Humanoid robots can now perform humanlike tasks requiring complex movement, such as walking or carrying... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3316051/chinas-blade-runner-moment-androids-flying-cars-take?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3316051/chinas-blade-runner-moment-androids-flying-cars-take?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 05:15:44 +0000 Ralph Jennings,Frank Chen Ralph Jennings,Frank Chen President Xi Jinping made clear the importance of China having its own large aeroplane in 2014, when he visited a Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) factory and sat in the cockpit of a prototype airliner. “A large aeroplane is the dream of several generations of Chinese,” he said at the state-run plant in Shanghai. “The ability to develop and make a large aeroplane represents the strength of a country’s aerospace industry.” China belatedly reached its goal in 2017, when the C919... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3314916/chinas-passenger-jet-ambitions-hit-trade-war-turbulence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3314916/chinas-passenger-jet-ambitions-hit-trade-war-turbulence?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Jun 2025 09:18:51 +0000 Yujie Xue Yujie Xue Chinese smartphone and car maker Xiaomi has moved up the launch of its latest electric vehicle (EV) model amid strong consumer interest in the SUV, which is seen as a potential challenger to the dominance of Tesla’s Model Y. Sales of the YU7, the Beijing-based company’s second production model, would start at the end of this month instead of in July as previously planned, founder and CEO Lei Jun said in a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo on Monday. “We are making the preparations, and... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-evs/article/3314580/chinese-evs-xiaomi-accelerates-launch-tesla-model-y-rival-yu7-citing-strong-demand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-evs/article/3314580/chinese-evs-xiaomi-accelerates-launch-tesla-model-y-rival-yu7-citing-strong-demand?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Jun 2025 07:00:08 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu China has signalled growing support for the private sector, as the head of the government department that oversees economic reform sat down with representatives of the tech industry to gather input ahead of Beijing’s next five-year development blueprint, analysts said. Zheng Shanjie, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), met leaders from five private enterprises to “gather opinions and suggestions for the scientific formulation of the ‘15th Five-Year Plan’, with a... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3314001/ai-chips-china-courts-private-tech-firms-help-drive-next-5-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3314001/ai-chips-china-courts-private-tech-firms-help-drive-next-5-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Jun 2025 09:30:13 +0000 Yujie Xue Yujie Xue Flying taxis could be used for public transport within the next five years on the mainland, according to a senior executive of Chinese passenger drone maker EHang Holdings. “I believe that by 2030, China will likely have fixed-route air shuttle services,” chief financial officer Conor Yang said in an interview on Tuesday. “It’s also possible that in some cities, with sufficient infrastructure such as take-off and landing points, air taxi services could emerge.” The Nasdaq-listed developer of... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3311216/chinese-drone-maker-ehang-sees-flying-taxis-take-2030-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3311216/chinese-drone-maker-ehang-sees-flying-taxis-take-2030-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 May 2025 23:30:08 +0000 Yujie Xue Yujie Xue Contemporary Amperex Technology Company (CATL), the world’s largest maker of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, aims to be a leading technology provider in China’s green energy sectors as it prepares to complete the world’s biggest stock offering so far this year. The group last year established CharGo to develop mobile storage and charging and testing robots for EVs to diversify its business. The robots can be used wherever EV charging piles or stations are lacking, fully occupied or out of... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3310793/ev-battery-maker-catl-seeks-new-growth-clean-tech-ahead-hong-kong-listing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3310793/ev-battery-maker-catl-seeks-new-growth-clean-tech-ahead-hong-kong-listing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 May 2025 07:00:11 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao China’s efforts to become self-sufficient in computer chips have had two boosts this year – the US trade war and the introduction of DeepSeek. US President Donald Trump has added new impetus to the semiconductor push by all but banning Chinese sales of Nvidia H20s, a chip specifically designed to comply with previous export restrictions. The move has pared domestic competition for chipmaker Huawei and spurred Chinese tech firms to use domestic chips in their training of artificial intelligence... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3310082/chinas-chip-self-sufficient-drive-aided-trump-deepseek?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3310082/chinas-chip-self-sufficient-drive-aided-trump-deepseek?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 May 2025 02:39:41 +0000 Yujie Xue Yujie Xue Chinese robotaxi company Pony.ai is teaming up with US ride-sharing services provider Uber Technologies to launch driverless taxis in the Middle East later this year, as the auto industry’s push for autonomous driving gains momentum. The two companies will first deploy Pony.ai’s robotaxis on Uber’s platform in a key market in the region, according to a joint statement on Tuesday, which did not specify any specific country. There are plans for expansion in more international markets, it added... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-evs/article/3309296/ponyai-uber-offer-robotaxis-middle-east-push-new-markets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-evs/article/3309296/ponyai-uber-offer-robotaxis-middle-east-push-new-markets?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 May 2025 12:15:07 +0000 Daniel Ren Daniel Ren China’s electric-vehicle makers have opened a new front in the competition for ascendancy, with nearly all 50 or so of them unveiling autonomous driving options to earn the loyalty of early adopters of future driving tech. Leading carmakers from BYD to Zeekr have announced that most of their new models, even those priced below 100,000 yuan (US$13,600), will be equipped with indigenous preliminary self-driving systems, known as NOA, or navigation on autopilot. According to Zhang Yongwei, general... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3306567/china-steers-self-driving-technology-new-heights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3306567/china-steers-self-driving-technology-new-heights?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Apr 2025 07:13:21 +0000 Ian Goodrum Ian Goodrum Humanoid robots – not to be confused with their industrial counterparts, the mechanical arms and other heavy-duty units already carrying out tasks on many factory floors – presently receive attention more for their projected value than their immediate utility, as the applications they are currently suited for are limited and most units remain prohibitively expensive for the average consumer. Compiled here are the nuts and bolts of this embryonic sector: some marquee features of current models,... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3303768/china-makes-big-bet-humanoid-robots?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3303768/china-makes-big-bet-humanoid-robots?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Mar 2025 06:53:44 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang On January 27, as most people in the business world were settling back into a post-holiday rhythm and digesting the barrage of executive orders that returning US President Donald Trump had issued in his first hours in office, the “DeepSeek moment” occurred. It had been a month since the Chinese frontier AI research lab announced benchmark tests for large language model DeepSeek-V3 that showed it performed as well as or better than rival models and a week after it rolled out its open-source R1... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3300970/plus-exclusive-chinas-ai-takes-leap-after-deepseek-moment-opens-possibilities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3300970/plus-exclusive-chinas-ai-takes-leap-after-deepseek-moment-opens-possibilities?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Mar 2025 08:19:14 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen China is emerging as the world’s dominant robotics powerhouse thanks to its massive manufacturing capacity and rapid technological progress. From robotic arms in factories to smart humanoid household robots – not to mention dancing robots – China is steering a course to become a major global supplier of smart robots. China’s advancement in the sector is partly the result of a government-led industrial policy. “Made in China 2025” – a programme launched in 2015 that targeted self-reliance for the... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3299287/plus-exclusive-chinas-industrial-robots-work-factories-while-humanoid-successors-wait-their-moment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3299287/plus-exclusive-chinas-industrial-robots-work-factories-while-humanoid-successors-wait-their-moment?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:39:01 +0000