In an effort to advance the development and construction of a digital China, China has been stepping up efforts to increase domestic computing power.
In order to promote the integrated operation of supercomputing and create a technologically advanced overall layout by 2025, China’s Ministry of Science and Technology launched the deployment for building a supercomputing internet on Monday.
Experts said that this action will accelerate the country’s advancement in related technologies. As a result of institutional advantages and its current global leadership in supercomputing, China has increased its competitiveness on a global scale.
According to a statement the ministry sent to the Global Times, the deployment for building the supercomputing internet was launched at a meeting in Tianjin Municipality in North China, along with the creation of a national supercomputing internet consortium.
In order to establish an integrated supercomputing network and service platform by connecting different capacities and resources, the supercomputing internet is to operate supercomputing centres through the internet’s management model.
The main objective is to closely link the supply and demand sides and lower the entry barrier for supercomputing applications under a market-oriented operational system, it said. At the same time, it aims to support the high-quality development of related technologies and industries.
The deployment coincides, according to the statement, with the country’s increased need for computing power and a more coordinated operating model for domestic supercomputing centres.
The statement said that the fast-paced development of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and big data will lead to challenges like the uneven distribution of computing power facilities, which the supercomputing internet will help overcome.
As China already shares global leadership in supercomputing with the US, the supercomputing internet will give domestic businesses easier access to computing power, which will significantly advance the development of AI, Ma Jihua, a seasoned industry observer, told the Global Times on Monday. China has systemic advantages in supercomputing, according to Ma.
For instance, the country’s strong computing capacity will boost innovation effectiveness while reducing operating expenses for businesses. Through integrated cooperation, Chinese businesses can share resources through computing platforms, further fostering innovation and the growth of the entire sector.
China and the US both lead the world in terms of supercomputing power, and according to Ma, institutional advantages coupled with powerful computing will further increase China’s competitiveness on the global stage.
In order to facilitate the integrated operation of supercomputing power through the development of the supercomputing internet, the Ministry of Science and Technology will construct a computing base.
By the end of 2025, the supercomputing internet will have an overall design that combines cutting-edge technology, an inventive business model, high-quality services, and an ideal ecosystem. In an effort to advance the development and construction of a digital China, China has been stepping up efforts to increase domestic computing power.
China has been constructing eight national computing hubs as part of an ambitious plan approved in 2022 to build the hubs and 10 national data centre clusters. According to a March report from China Media Group, construction has already begun on nearly 70 computing centres that are part of the eight hubs. China has released a plan outlining the general structure of its digital development.
The plan stated that by 2025, significant progress will have been made towards creating a digital China, with effective interconnectivity in digital infrastructure, a significantly improved digital economy, and significant advancements in digital technology innovation, according to the Xinhua News Agency.