Factories in China installed nearly 300,000 new robots last year, more than the rest of the world combined. This figure suggests that China is building leadership in robotics not merely for industrial efficiency, but as a direct path to achieving independence in core artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The prioritisation of embodied intelligence, or AI-powered robots,…
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”?…
In 2007, a Chinese PhD student at the University of Cambridge launched a start-up with a former classmate focused on using speech recognition technology to help foreigners learn Chinese. A year later, Yu Kai and his team returned to China, aiming to draw on the country’s vast market and deep talent pool to propel their…
With its win in China’s first half marathon for humanoid robots, the state-backed Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre has entered the national spotlight as it aims to become something akin to Google’s Android operating system for artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled machines. The centre, also known as X-Humanoid, operates the Tien Kung Ultra robot, which secured first…
In a stunning display, a humanoid robot from China could be seen performing kung fu moves with precision and balance. Made by Chinese robotics start-up Unitree was also able to do a side flip. Videos of the ‘kung fu bot’ showing off its dance and martial arts moves are going viral on social media. Unitree…
As China’s political elite gathers for the country’s annual legislative sessions, we examine the broader forces likely to influence policies and decision-making for the coming year. In the eighth part of the series, Dannie Peng looks at recent strides made in China’s scientific and tech sectors, the country’s ambitions and the challenges it faces, particularly…
Guangdong will further strengthen its manufacturing and industrial base and make it more “modern” to maintain its decades-long status as China’s economic powerhouse, according to the top official in the country’s richest province. The southern province will “adhere to the principle of making the real economy our foundation, and manufacturing our mainstay”, Guangdong party secretary…
The southern Chinese megacity of Shenzhen has unleashed a barrage of policies aimed at propelling itself to the forefront of the global artificial intelligence and robotics industries, as the metropolis seeks to reaffirm its status as China’s leading technology hub. In a rare move, the city rolled out three major action plans in a single…
For years, Shenzhen has been synonymous with Chinese innovation. The southern megacity – and the firms it has spawned over the decades – have become the indisputable champions of the country’s drive for technological self-reliance, as well as its struggle against containment efforts led by the US. But as the tech race expands from chips,…
Shenzhen – often hailed as China’s Silicon Valley – has pledged to ramp up its investments in talent development with a particular focus on humanoid robotics, part of a growing global competition in tech that will see robots and artificial intelligence (AI) as major battlegrounds. The southern metropolis is gearing up to implement a “comprehensive…