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People’s Daily: China’s Indigenous “Lingsheng” Supercomputer Tops Global TOP500 Rankings

At the International Supercomputing Conference in Germany, the latest TOP500 ranking named China’s Lingsheng the world’s fastest supercomputer, achieving a sustained double-precision performance of 2.198 exaflops (EFlops). It is the first supercomputer to surpass 2 EFlops of sustained performance and marks China’s return to the top of the global supercomputing rankings for the first time since Sunway TaihuLight led the list in 2017.

People’s Daily portrays Lingsheng’s achievement as the culmination of nearly a decade of accelerated domestic innovation spurred by U.S. export controls on advanced computing technologies. The system is reportedly built entirely on indigenous technologies, including a domestically developed high-performance CPU, high-bandwidth on-chip memory, high-speed interconnects, advanced storage, liquid cooling, and a full-stack software ecosystem. According to the article, this end-to-end domestic architecture enables China to develop advanced computing capabilities independently of foreign suppliers.

A key feature highlighted by People’s Daily is Lingsheng’s departure from the dominant CPU-GPU heterogeneous architecture employed by leading U.S. exascale systems. Instead, it adopts an all-CPU architecture with integrated AI acceleration units embedded directly into the processor, eliminating the data-transfer overhead between CPUs and GPUs. The article presents this design as a new technological paradigm that demonstrates China’s “changing lanes to overtake” approach to bypass Western dominant competitors.

Source: People’s Daily, June 29, 2026
http://finance.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0629/c1004-40749501.html

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

China Claims Leadership in Global AI Model Usage

People’s Daily republished an article citing data from OpenRouter, a global AI model API aggregation platform, claiming that China has become the world’s largest market for AI model usage. According to the report, AI models processed 46.7 trillion tokens globally during the week of June 15–21, marking the ninth consecutive week of growth. China accounted for 18.81 trillion tokens—more than any other country—for the eighth straight week, while the United States ranked second with 5.76 trillion tokens.

The analysis also highlights intensifying competition among China’s leading AI models. DeepSeek V4-Flash reportedly remained the country’s most-used model for the fifth consecutive week, processing 4.94 trillion tokens during the reporting period. Xiaomi’s MiMo-V2.5 rose to second place, followed by MiniMax M3, while Tencent’s Hunyuan 3 Preview slipped to fourth amid increasingly fierce competition among leading providers.

The article attributes China’s sustained growth to two key advantages. First, it argues that China’s vast digital ecosystem—including WeChat, short-video platforms, smart government services, industrial applications, and smart home devices—provides abundant real-world deployment scenarios and continuous streams of user interaction data for AI models. Second, it credits China’s open-source ecosystem and low-cost API pricing with lowering adoption barriers for businesses and developers, helping transform AI into widely accessible digital infrastructure across a broad range of industries.

Source: People’s Daily, June 24, 2026
http://finance.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0624/c1004-40746405.html

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

U.S. Pressure Stalls China Mobile’s Chile–Asia Submarine Cable Project

China Mobile’s proposal to build the first submarine fiber-optic cable directly linking South America and Asia has reportedly stalled following U.S. intervention, highlighting the intensifying geopolitical competition over global digital infrastructure. The proposed 20,000-kilometer cable would connect Chile with China, reducing South America’s dependence on U.S.-controlled communications networks at a time when artificial intelligence is driving rapid growth in global data traffic.

According to reports, Chile’s Ministry of Telecommunications initially approved the project in January 2026. Shortly afterward, ministry officials were summoned to the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, and the approval was withdrawn two days later, officially citing “technical errors.” In February, then-Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Juan Carlos Muñoz and two other Chilean officials reportedly had their U.S. diplomatic visas revoked after evaluating China Mobile’s proposal. The U.S. State Department reportedly argued that their actions could jeopardize critical telecommunications infrastructure and regional security.

Former Chilean President Gabriel Boric later said he ordered the project withdrawn after the United States threatened long-term consequences, adding that any decision on the cable should be subject to public debate. Following the inauguration of President José Antonio Kast in March, the U.S. ambassador to Chile declared the China Mobile project effectively “over.”

The case illustrates the growing U.S.-China rivalry over global telecommunications infrastructure. While U.S. technology companies dominate submarine cable networks linking South America to the rest of the world, Chinese firms—including China Telecom, Huawei, ZTE, and Alibaba Cloud—have steadily expanded their presence across Latin America through investments in 5G networks, data centers, cloud services, and other digital infrastructure.

Source: Epoch Times, June 19, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/6/18/n14791883.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Information/Technology

Chinese Firm Markets AI-Powered Cross-Border VPN Detection System for Universities

China maintains one of the world’s most sophisticated internet censorship systems, commonly known as the “Great Firewall.” To access blocked foreign websites and information, many Chinese internet users rely on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and other circumvention tools, a practice commonly referred to as “climbing the wall” (翻墙).

A recently deleted white paper published by the WeChat account “Guoji Beisheng Edu,” affiliated with Guoji Beisheng (Nanjing) Technology Development Co., described a “Cross-Border VPN Detection System” designed to identify and monitor unauthorized VPN usage at Chinese universities. The product is marketed as a tool to help institutions comply with regulatory requirements issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Education aimed at detecting and preventing internet circumvention on campus.

According to the white paper, the system uses packet metadata, traffic classification, machine-learning models, and behavioral analysis to identify suspected VPN traffic in real time. By analyzing network flows, protocols, timestamps, and traffic patterns, the platform generates risk scores and determines whether connections exceed predefined violation thresholds. It also maintains a database of known VPN-related traffic signatures, enabling rapid identification of previously observed circumvention methods.

The platform operates through traffic mirroring from a university’s core network switch, allowing it to analyze encrypted traffic without directly sitting in the data path. It can identify suspected proxy server IP addresses, generate real-time alerts, and create user profiles based on connection timing, ports, proxy usage, and network behavior. The white paper also highlights features such as user profiling, violation tracking, forensic analysis, and risk dashboards.

Although the original article was removed, a copy was preserved by China Digital Times.

Source: China Digital Times, June 18, 2026
https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/728351.html

Briefings | | |   @CS Information/Technology

People’s Daily: “Changing Lanes to Overtake” Is Key to China’s Technological Advancement

People’s Daily published a commentary arguing that “changing lanes to overtake” (换道超车)—pursuing alternative technological pathways rather than competing directly with established leaders—has become a key pillar of China’s innovation strategy. The article highlights recent examples, including Huawei’s proposed “Tau (τ) Law,” which seeks to improve semiconductor performance through “time scaling” rather than traditional transistor miniaturization, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ development of the RISC-V-based “Xiangshan” open-source computing system and “Ruyi” operating system to bypass technological and ecosystem barriers associated with dominant instruction-set architectures.

The commentary argues that direct competition with established leaders is often constrained by technological barriers, industry standards, and entrenched market positions. By pursuing differentiated development paths and leveraging its own comparative advantages, China can reduce competitive disadvantages, create new opportunities, and gain greater strategic initiative.

As examples of successful “lane changing,” the article points to Chinese television manufacturers’ shift from OLED technology to Mini LED displays, which improved display quality while lowering costs. It also highlights China’s humanoid robotics industry, which has adopted electric-drive systems and rapid application-based iteration rather than following traditional hydraulic-driven development models. According to the commentary, these cases demonstrate how alternative technological pathways can help China bypass existing barriers, accelerate innovation, and achieve technological catch-up.

Source: People’s Daily, June 9, 2026
http://opinion.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0609/c461529-40736329.html

Briefings | | |   @CS Information/Technology

China’s Robot Rental Market Booms, Driving Demand for Insurance

People’s Daily reported that robots are increasingly being deployed in shopping malls, tourist attractions, exhibitions, and event services, fueling rapid growth in China’s robot rental market. Industry estimates value the market at approximately 1 billion yuan (US$140 million) in 2025, with projections suggesting it could surpass 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion) in 2026 as commercial adoption accelerates.

The market’s expansion has also generated strong demand for specialized insurance products. Chinese insurers are introducing coverage for risks associated with robot leasing, operations, maintenance, equipment damage, data security, and third-party liability. China Pacific Insurance launched a dedicated insurance product for humanoid robots in 2025, while Ping An and PICC have developed broader insurance solutions for commercial robotics applications.

Industry observers view insurance as a critical supporting service for the commercialization of robotics, helping reduce operational risks and encouraging wider adoption as robots move into increasingly diverse real-world applications.

Source: People’s Daily, June 11, 2026
http://finance.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0611/c1004-40738326.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Information/Technology

Former Huawei Scientist Criticizes Huawei’s “Tao Law”

Yang Xuezhi, a former Huawei scientist and telecommunications expert known for inventing the 4G Soft Frequency Reuse (SFR) technology, recently sparked controversy after publishing an article criticizing Huawei’s newly announced “Tao (τ) Law.”

The debate began after Huawei Semiconductor Business President He Tingbo introduced the “Tao Law” on May 25, 2026. Huawei describes it as a chip-design concept that improves semiconductor performance through circuit architecture optimization, signal-timing improvements, and system-level efficiency gains, rather than relying primarily on transistor miniaturization as envisioned by Moore’s Law.

Yang argued that the technology represents a valuable engineering optimization rather than a fundamental scientific breakthrough. He contended that the concepts underlying the “Tao Law,” such as reducing signal delays and optimizing circuit timing, are well-established industry practices and do not justify being labeled a new “law.” He accused Huawei of repackaging existing technologies, exaggerating their significance through marketing, and engaging in what he described as a long-standing pattern of overstating research achievements.

The article was subsequently removed from Chinese online platforms. In response, a number of Chinese commentators and technology writers published rebuttals defending Huawei’s technological contributions. Others attacked Yang personally, labeling him a “loser” and arguing that his criticism stemmed from resentment over his departure from Huawei in 2012 rather than from objective academic concerns.

Sources:
1. Aboluo, June 14, 2026
https://www.aboluowang.com/2026/0614/2395705.html
2. Guancha.com, May 29, 2026
https://user.guancha.cn/main/content?id=1661107&page=1
3. Sina, June 3, 2026
https://www.sina.cn/news/detail/5305769256815587.html

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

IDC: China’s AI-Enabled ERP Market Nearly Doubled in 2025

Huanqiu Times reported that a recent IDC study showed China’s AI-enabled Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) market reached US$315.7 million in 2025, representing year-on-year growth of 96.1 percent.

IDC noted that the figure reflects enterprises’ additional investment in AI capabilities during ERP upgrades rather than the overall ERP software market. According to the report, the rapid growth signals a fundamental transformation in ERP systems rather than the simple addition of AI functions.

Companies are no longer satisfied with using ERP systems merely to record business activities. Instead, they increasingly expect ERP platforms to participate directly in business execution, shifting from a model in which users search for functions to one in which systems can understand user intent and proactively provide services.

Source: Huanqiu Times, June 5, 2026
https://tech.huanqiu.com/article/4Rr63uq5wM1

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology