China quietly profits from US AI boom despite Washington’s tech curbs: research

China is gaining from America’s trillion-dollar artificial intelligence spending spree despite Washington’s efforts to curb Chinese technology ties, as the US data centre boom ripples through Asian technology supply chains, according to research by Oxford Economics. Roughly US$2 trillion worth of data-centre projects are planned or under way in the US, according to a report by the consultancy, with as much as three-quarters of the cost tied to equipment such as semiconductors and servers. That spending was translating into a sharp rise in US imports of electronic goods, much of…

Chinese team shows quantum tech can disrupt AI in a real-world task

An AI computing centre capable of predicting weather patterns weeks in advance typically carries a price tag of US$100 million or more. Now, Chinese researchers say a small-scale quantum system can outperform such facilities at less than 1 per cent of the cost. The findings raise questions about the long-term economics of the global artificial intelligence infrastructure race. If compact quantum systems can deliver competitive performance in specific tasks, could today’s colossal data centres costing trillions of dollars soon be obsolete? 03:33 Will AI replace conventional methods in forecasting typhoons…

Founder of China’s Evergrande Group Hui Ka-yan pleads guilty in fraud trial

As part of a public trial held by the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court, China Evergrande Group founder and former chairman Hui Ka-yan admitted guilt and expressed remorse over a set of charges including embezzlement of corporate assets and corporate bribery, according to a statement issued by the court. The trial was held on Monday and Tuesday, and the court will issue its judgement at a later date. More to follow … Advertisement South China Morning Post

Can Hong Kong, target of the most US sanctions, become China’s quantum gateway?

Hong Kong holds the unwanted distinction of being the most US-sanctioned territory in China, with more than 300 entities blacklisted by Washington in a bid to curb Beijing’s technological rise. But the government maintains that a backlash from Washington will not stop Hong Kong from becoming an international technology hub, in line with an initiative that seeks to bypass technological containment through deepened partnerships with the mainland. Anchored by the cross-border Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, the initiative could turn Hong Kong into China’s quantum gateway…