China urges breakthroughs in GPUs, robotics, quantum computing and brain interfaces to drive ‘future industries’
- New guideline urges the country to ‘grasp the opportunities of a new round of scientific and technological revolution’
- Document sets a target of achieving breakthroughs in at least 100 core cutting-edge technologies by 2025
Chinese authorities have reiterated the need for technological breakthroughs in a range of hi-tech areas, including graphics processing units (GPUs), quantum computing, humanoid robots and brain-computer interfaces, in Beijing’s latest effort to seek control of “the industries of the future”.
A document issued on Monday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other departments, urges the country to “grasp the opportunities of a new round of scientific and technological revolution” at a time when the US is doubling down on a “small yard, high fence” approach to block China’s access to key technologies.
The US has been ramping up its tech pressure on China. As a result of Washington’s October update of export restrictions for advanced chips, Nvidia is unable to sell its cutting-edge GPUs – including some tailor-made for China to comply with previous regulations – to the country.
The Biden administration will require such firms to reveal foreign customer names and IP addresses, and they will need to devise a budget for collecting those details and report any suspicious activity, according to a draft rule published on Sunday.
