Technology

To overcome limitations in chokepoint technologies and improve its investment in basic research, China has rolled out a series of governance changes to the science and technology (S&T) ecosystem. Researcher Qian Jiwei examines the changes which could potentially result in a centralised leadership and decentralised fund allocation mechanism. Will it work?  

China’s Huawei suddenly launched a new smartphone, equipped with a 7-nm chip said to be made in China and with network speeds reaching 5G levels, shocking the US political circles. What far-reaching impacts will China's breakthrough in chip technology have? How will Washington respond? Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Edwin Ong takes us through the recent developments and what it means for the US’s strategy against China’s tech advancements.

AI is all the rage at the moment, but technology expert Yin Ruizhi warns that China's AI-related startups may not stand a chance in the current environment as big tech platforms gobble small ones, and the business know-how is firmly in the hands of industry leaders who would choose to work with the tech bigwigs.

Humanoid robots have become the latest trend in the tech industry, with US and Chinese tech firms trying to beat each other to the punch in releasing their robots. While China is still lagging behind in software, the hardware gap between China and the US and Japan is expected to shrink.

The US’s latest round of investment restrictions on China hits the country where it hurts — access to innovation ecosystems. Will China develop its own ecosystems fast enough? Researcher Ding Ke weighs in on the issue.

With heightened tensions between the US and China, it’s easy to reach for Cold War analogies, says science journalist Dan Garisto. But the quantum race is not like the space race, or most other tech races. That’s because quantum tech — despite the name — is more science than technology. If quantum tech is in its infancy, it should not be viewed in the same light as semiconductors and other currently critical technology. In fact, seen as science and not a deployable technology, quantum tech leaves much scope for cooperation.

With recent reports of a China-based state-sponsored hacking group targeting US critical infrastructure, RSIS academic Eugene Tan examines some common modes of cyberattacks around the world and the latest furore around alleged China-based hacking groups such as Volt Typhoon and Storm-0558.

US giant Micron Technology Inc. is facing a series of setbacks in China. With Chinese companies unlikely to take the risk of purchasing Micron products, who will fill the gap?

Technology expert Yin Ruizhi believes that the current artificial intelligence fever is still at its nascent stage whereby tech companies need to focus on technical development before it becomes profitable. However, compared with the previous breakthroughs in the mobile internet era, the tech industry is exploring emerging business paradigms with no rush to capitalise on generative AI for now.