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China’s massive AI rollout – podcast
Senior China correspondent Amy Hawkins on China’s embrace of AI, from medical avatars to food delivery drones and state surveillance While the spread of AI has been met perhaps with a lot of scepticism in the west, China has fully embraced the technology, explains Amy Hawkins, from millions of users talking to AI doctors, to…
China wants to solve the hardest problem in robotics – making hands
Race to develop ‘embodied AI’ focuses on creating dextrous hands to transform humanoid robots from gimmicks into useful products Human hands – nimble, nerve-filled appendages that are the most flexible part of the human skeleton – are exceptionally complex. Many tasks that most people can do largely without thinking, from tying a pair of shoelaces…
What is China’s SpaceSail, and could it rival Elon Musk’s Starlink?
The company has just a few hundred satellites in low Earth orbit but has state backing and is already reportedly negotiating with dozens of countries Elon Musk’s Starlink has long dominated the satellite internet industry, but a Chinese government-backed project is aiming to challenge its position. SpaceSail has just a few hundred satellites in low…
Chinese supercomputer leapfrogs best US machines to be ranked world’s fastest
China’s LineShine debuts at number one in Top500 – a list sometimes viewed as a national measure of global tech prowess A supercomputer in China now outranks its US counterparts as the world’s most powerful. It is the first time since 2017 that a Chinese computer has topped a list sometimes viewed as a measure…
Inspired by Ukraine, and worried by China: Taiwan teaches its citizens how to fly drones
Ordinary Taiwanese, young and old, are joining courses to learn how to fly drones amid looming China military threat In a small, crowded room in Taipei, Pan Chien-chin is trying to keep a drone hovering steadily. Imagining himself flying a plane, he gently nudges controller joysticks to guide the insect-like device as it hums through…
Chinese activist in UK told by X that abusive deepfakes do not breach rules
Apple Peiqing Ni targeted by account portraying her as promiscuous drug addict after posting about Tiananmen Square A high-profile Chinese activist in the UK who was inundated with deepfake posts on X portraying her as a sexually promiscuous drug addict was told that the abuse did not breach the rules of Elon Musk’s platform. Apple…
World’s first wind-powered underwater datacentre starts operating in China
Datacentre off Shanghai coast uses less power and water than land-based equivalent The world’s first wind-powered underwater datacentre has started operations off the coast of Shanghai, as China presses forwards with solutions for energy challenges created by the country’s artificial intelligence boom. The Shanghai Lingang undersea datacentre demonstration project, which launched in May, has a…
Are robots nearing their ChatGPT moment? – podcast
Last month at Beijing’s half marathon, a robot named Lightning beat the human world record by nearly seven minutes. It’s the latest in a string of AI-powered milestones that have got people wondering whether robots are about to enter our everyday lives, just as chatbots have. And the country leading the charge is China, where…
Nvidia’s revenue blows past Wall Street expectations as AI boom accelerates
Many analysts view company’s financial performance as a broader referendum on AI buildout Nvidia continued its years-long streak of beating Wall Street’s expectations for growth on Wednesday, reassuring most investors that the AI boom, particularly the global explosion of datacenters, will continue apace. “The buildout of AI factories – the largest infrastructure expansion in human…
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang joins other US bosses on Trump trip to China
Invitation to be part of group including Elon Musk and Tim Cook highlights American AI and tech ambitions The billionaire chief executive of the chipmaker Nvidia, Jensen Huang, has joined Donald Trump’s China delegation after a reported last-minute invitation, highlighting the US’s AI and tech ambitions. Huang will join a roster of US bosses including…