China's Astonishing Maglev Train Is Faster Than Most Planes
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
China has successfully tested a magnetic levitation (Maglev) technology which could see trains travel faster than most planes.
The most recent test, demonstrated at Donghu Laboratory in Hubei Province, saw a 1.1-ton Maglev train accelerating to 404 mph in just under 7 seconds over 1,968 feet. The test follows a trial of the same technology last year, which achieved speeds of over 620 mph—faster than the flight of many commercial planes.
Newsweek contacted the Chinese Ministry of Transport for more information via email.
Why It Matters
The successful results in June show that the Maglev technology, which produced speeds of over 600 mph during trials last year in the Shanxi province is reproducible, meaning it could become part of China's rail network soon.
For comparison, commercial passenger aircrafts typically travel at around 547 to 575 mph, meaning China could soon have the ability to deploy trains that run faster than standard air travel.
What To Know
June's test, which was carried out by researchers at Donghu Laboratory, used self-developed electromagnetic propulsion and suspension systems that allow the train to levitate above the track, virtually eliminating friction and only requiring it to overcome air resistance.
The measurement and positioning accuracy, according to Li Weichao, the lab's technology director, reached a precision of 4 millimeters, which is critical for safety at extreme speeds.
Maglev technology uses opposing magnetic fields to lift the train off its track, which reduces friction and allows for smoother, quieter, and faster movement.
At high speeds, air resistance becomes the principal limitation, a hurdle that engineers have minimized by using low-vacuum tubes to allow even greater acceleration. New artificial intelligence (AI)-guided suspension systems and precise electromagnetic controls further support extreme speeds and passenger comfort.
Currently, only China, Japan, and South Korea operate commercial Maglev systems, with Beijing already running the world's longest commercial Maglev line between Shanghai and Pudong International Airport at speeds up to 267 mph.
China plans to deploy the ultra-high-speed maglev network to connect major cities nationwide, such as Beijing and Shanghai, which could reduce travel times between cities to 90 minutes or less.
Mechanics checking a bullet train at a maintenance center in Nanjing, eastern China's Jiangsu province, on January 13.
Mechanics checking a bullet train at a maintenance center in Nanjing, eastern China's Jiangsu province, on January 13.
Getty Images
What People Are Saying
Director, High-speed Maglev Electromagnetic Propulsion Technology Innovation Center, Donghu Laboratory, Li Weichao, told CGTN last month: "This is the fastest speed in the world. It's typical operating speed is 800 km/h. The entire construction is expected to be completed by the end of this year, and the platform will meet the conditions for acceptance."
What Happens Next?
Engineers at Donghu Laboratory expect to complete the full construction of their high-speed track by the end of 2025.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
Nvidia in for Big Win in China Amid US Tech War
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Nvidia says it expects U.S. government approval to export advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips to the Chinese market. The green light would be a breakthrough for the chipmaker after months of navigating controls on semiconductor technology aimed at slowing China's progress on AI technologies with military applications. Newsweek reached out to the White House via written request for comment. Why It Matters China is a critical market for Nvidia, accounting for about 15.5 percent of its business as of April. That month, the White House said a special license would be required to export Nvidia's H20 GPU—a chip widely viewed as having contributed to the development of the Chinese AI model DeepSeek. Just days later, U.S. President Donald Trump said delivery of "all necessary permits" would be expedited after the tech giant announced a $500 billion investment in supercomputer production in the U.S. What To Know Nvidia's new chips, including the Blackwell series and a repurposed H20, are designed to comply with U.S. export rules, the company has said. CEO Jensen Huang continued his public relations offensive last week in Washington, D.C. Jensen Huang, cofounder and CEO of Nvidia Corp., attends the VivaTech trade show in Paris on June 11. Jensen Huang, cofounder and CEO of Nvidia Corp., attends the VivaTech trade show in Paris on June 11. Getty Images In meetings with policymakers and Trump, Huang pledged that Nvidia remained committed to the administration's efforts to create jobs and bolster onshore manufacturing and domestic AI infrastructure, the company said in a statement published Monday. The government has given assurances that licenses to sell the H20 GPU would be granted, Nvidia said, adding that it hopes to resume deliveries soon. "General-purpose, open-source research and foundation models are the backbone of AI innovation. We believe that every civil model should run best on the U.S. technology stack, encouraging nations worldwide to choose America," Huang said. Nvidia shares closed at a record $170.70 on Tuesday after rising more than 4 percent in early trading. What People Have Said Lin Jian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said during Tuesday's press briefing: "I would like to point out that China's opposition to politicizing, instrumentalizing and weaponizing tech and trade issues and malicious attempts to blockade and keep down China is consistent and clear. These actions will destabilize the global industrial and supply chains, and serve no one's interests." Lia Holmgren, independent trader and trading coach, wrote on X: "$NVDA does it again, this move is unreal. Another all-time high today, and the stock tacked on $200B in market cap like it was nothing. Nvidia's now worth $4.1 trillion, that's 3.6 percent of global GDP." What's Next The resumption of H20 chip exports could unlock billions in revenue for Nvidia, currently the world's largest company by market cap, and shape the contours of the global AI industry, projected to be worth $50 billion by the end of the decade.
Newsweek
8 hours ago
- Newsweek
Yellowstone Park Announces New Thermal Discovery
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A newly formed thermal feature has been discovered in the Porcelain Basin area of Yellowstone National Park's Norris Geyser Basin, officials from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) reported this week. Why It Matters "The discovery emphasizes the dynamic nature of Yellowstone's thermal activity. It's not evolving in any one direction or another, but it is always changing," Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge at YVO, told Newsweek. Known for its unique hydrothermal and geologic features, more than 4.5 million visitors flocked to Yellowstone, which spans 2.2 million acres across parts of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, in 2023, according to the National Park Service. What To Know Discovered during routine maintenance of temperature logging equipment on April 10, the pool measures approximately 4 meters (13 feet) across and was filled with light blue water registering around 109 degrees Fahrenheit. It lies west of an area informally known as "Tree Island." View looking northwest at a new thermal pool in the Porcelain Basin area of Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, that probably formed in a series of mildly explosive events between late December 2024 and... View looking northwest at a new thermal pool in the Porcelain Basin area of Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, that probably formed in a series of mildly explosive events between late December 2024 and early February 2025. More Mike Poland/USGS Field geologists noted the presence of scattered rocks—up to 30 centimeters in diameter—around the site, coated with a light-gray, fine-grained, sandy mud. The presence of these materials, coupled with the observed structure of the pit, led scientists to conclude that the feature likely resulted from a series of minor hydrothermal explosions. The pool likely developed between late December 2024 and early February 2025, according to YVO. High-resolution satellite imagery played a crucial role in pinpointing the formation window of the new pool. Images showed no trace of the feature on December 19, 2024, but revealed a depression by January 6, 2025, and a fully developed pool by February 13, 2025. Additionally, infrasound data collected from a monitoring station installed in September 2023 detected several low-level acoustic signals originating from the direction of the new feature. The most prominent of these was recorded on December 25, 2024, though it lacked an accompanying seismic signal, indicating that the event was not a significant explosion. Lidar shaded relief map of the Porcelain Basin and Back Basin areas of Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, with the orange star indicating the location of a new thermal pool. Lidar shaded relief map of the Porcelain Basin and Back Basin areas of Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, with the orange star indicating the location of a new thermal pool. USGS What People Are Saying Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge at Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, told Newsweek: "This sort of thing probably happens many times per year throughout the park. Yellowstone is an incredibly dynamic place that is always changing. New features are appearing, existing ones go quiet, and so on, all the time. But thanks to advances in monitoring capabilities, we're able to catch these changes in a way that wasn't possible previously." Yellowstone Volcano Observatory said in its report: "The latest new thermal feature in Norris Geyser Basin—perhaps the most dynamic area in Yellowstone National Park—demonstrates the spectrum of ways in which hydrothermal features evolve. Some form during brief and violent episodes of change. Others may take shape far more gradually, like the new feature found near Tree Island that seems to have begun taking shape on Christmas 2024." What Happens Next Poland told Newsweek that the new hole was sufficiently far away from boardwalks and trails to pose no threat to visitors. "But I think it is a good reminder about why it is so important to stay on marked trails and boardwalks when exploring Yellowstone's geyser basins," Poland added. "The ground is unstable, and there is a lot of steam and hot water just below the surface in places. A person could easily break through a thin crust into scalding fluids if they leave the boardwalks."
Newsweek
9 hours ago
- Newsweek
AI Impact Awards 2025: Financial Services Need Efficient, Reliable Solutions
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In the world of finance, efficiency and accuracy are paramount for institutions managing billions in assets around the world. The three winners of Newsweek's AI Impact Awards in the Finance category are pioneering AI technology to help streamline operations, save time and money, boost employee well-being and protect against fraud. Principal Financial Group Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Kathy Kay told Newsweek that the future of AI in financial services is both exciting and transformative. "I see it driving smarter decision-making, hyper-personalized customer experiences and stronger risk management," she said over email. "We will see problems being solved in ways we never thought possible so our people can continue to do their best work. But to realize that future responsibly, we need to invest just as much in data literacy, ethical frameworks and cross-functional collaboration as we do in the technology itself. It's not just about what AI can do — it's about how we guide it to create real, sustainable value." Principal Financial Group is a Fortune 500 investment management and insurance company with $712 billion in total assets under management around the world. In response to facing critical operation challenges and inefficiencies internally, the company created the Principal Artificial Intelligence Generative Experience (PAIGE) – an AI-powered assistant that automates content generation, training materials and marketing content through advanced analytics. "Like many growing organizations, we saw opportunities where smarter tools could make a real difference," Kay said. "More specifically, we knew that using technology in the right way could free up our employees' time and allow them to prioritize the most important things – like solving complex customer problems." Kay said teams were spending too much time on things like managing documents and onboarding new employees and there was a "persistent" challenge with explaining complex financial topics in clear, accessible ways. "We knew these hurdles were affecting both our internal teams and our ability to communicate consistently with customers," she said. PAIGE's main functions include creating compliant and efficient documents and training materials, breaking down complicated financial concepts into clear, approachable language and handling routine tasks to improve productivity and allow employees to "focus on what really matters," Kay said. The company is already seeing measurable results as PAIGE's growth has exceeded expectations, "expanding from initial pilot users to over 800 active users by year-end," according to the company. There is a 50 percent reduction in task completion time across diverse functions, including client inquiries, while maintaining accuracy metrics with a query acceptance rate exceeding 95 percent and negative feedback remained below 1 percent. Newsweek Illustration Customer onboarding time also decreased by 90 percent, down from over 20 days to just three days. This efficiency has enabled the company to service 40 percent more members over five years. Kay said that PAIGE helps break down barriers to make financial planning more accessible for everyone, exemplifying Principal's core value that everyone deserves a clear path to financial security. "Simply put, it's here to help us fulfill our promise: making financial security achievable for all," she said. "Whether it's helping our employees work more efficiently or making financial concepts less intimidating, it supports our vision of a world where everyone has the tools and understanding they need to pursue their financial dreams." ABBYY, a global tech company specializing in AI-powered document processing and automation, also understands the need for efficiency and accuracy when working internally and for clients and partners. The company has been around for over 30 years and serves over 10,000 customers, including several Fortune 500 companies, McDonald's, Volkswagen, Deloitte, DHL and the National Library of Latvia. CFO Brian Unruh told Newsweek in an interview that the company has "product superiority," but is hoping to improve its "operational excellence," which is key to really reduce the friction not only how we work team of teams, but how we engage with our customers." ABBYY is the winner of Newsweek's AI Impact Award for Best Outcomes, Accounting for its work helping Asia-Pacific vehicle part provider Bapcor and Australian dairy cooperative Norco with its advanced Document AI. According to the company's application, ABBYY was able to reduce the need for manual entry and matching, cut down on overtime and excessive labor costs related to invoice processing, and free up accounts payable employees' time for more fulfilling and value-generating tasks. ABBYY IDP was able to streamline Norco's invoices for shipping goods to various locations and reduce labor costs by about half, Unruh said. It also helped Bapcor move away from printed invoices and manual data entry to improve efficiency and eliminate overtime – both saving costs and boosting employee satisfaction. "These aren't edge cases, this is typical," Unruh said, "We find customers that benefit, especially in finance and banking, because they have fiduciary responsibilities for accuracy. And so we come in and we can cut their error rate, and that's hard savings for them." When adopting AI for business operations, Unruh said it's important to "walk the walk" and demonstrate how the AI solution addresses actual problems or opportunities. It is also important for that solution to be rooted in ethical and responsible practices. "It's really important that this isn't something that they are recklessly deploying, or it's not long term," he said. "It's one thing about going live, it's another thing [to have] maintenance and make sure that you continue driving the success that you intend." In the financial world, AI tools are not only helping financial institutions work better, more efficiently, but they are also helping protect against fraud. Instnt, a venture-backed insurance technology business, uses AI to mitigate fraud risks for businesses and transfers residual losses to the insurance market, saving businesses millions in operational and treasury costs. It is also the winner of Newsweek's award for Best Outcomes, Mitigating Fraud in the AI Finance category. "Globally, fraud is set to account for something like 4 to 5 percent of global GDP loss," Instnt founder and CEO Sunil Madhu told Newsweek. "If that fraud loss was a country, it'd be the third or fourth largest country in the world." When he started his previous company, a platform for digital identity verification called Socure, Madhu saw a larger problem around how fraud was being managed in the financial industry and decided to start a new company to address that. With the Instnt Fraud Loss Insurance Solution, the company helps customers detect fraud with AI-driven models. "Instnt is the first company that has managed to make fraud insurable," he said. "We are an AI for fraud loss insurance, so we built a machine learning and artificial intelligence system that allows us to uniquely price risk and shift that risk off their balance sheets onto the insurance market." By making fraud insurable, Madhu said these institutions can use insurance to offset losses, which improves their margins and allows them to grow faster because they aren't sacrificing growth to keep fraud under control. Current fraud solutions aren't doing enough, Instnt said. The existing solutions that do detect fraud don't eliminate the financial liability for businesses and risk management and the fragmentation of risk management forces businesses to rely on multiple, disconnected tools for fraud detection, compliance and insurance coverage. Additionally, banks often limit customer approvals due to fraud concerns, reducing revenue potential. "Our viewpoint is not so much that we have to try to stop fraud; our viewpoint is that no two types of fraud losses are created equal, and there's this difference in that paradigm where most fraud prevention tools would strive to stop the fraud binary, good or bad," Madhu said. "So we can make a more qualitative decision based on expected losses and that allows the businesses do some optimizations they weren't able to before in terms of how many customers they let in through the front door." Instnt's solution integrates machine learning-driven risk assessment with access to insurance-backed financial protection, according to the application. This allows businesses to offload fraud loss liability while approving more legitimate customers. The tool analyzes an organization's historical fraud patterns and creates a custom policy for fraud loss coverage. It can identify fraud signals in real time to prevent unauthorized transactions before they happen. If fraud does occur, businesses can file claims through Instant's platform and receive payouts within 30 days. By allowing Instant to absorb the financial impact of fraud, banks can focus on growth, customer acquisition and financial resilience, Instnt said. "One of the largest digital banks in the world. We can't name them because it's not public yet, but the one of the largest digital banks in the world is losing nearly $45 million in just one type of fraud loss, which is first-party fraud in the loan products that they provide to their customers. And we were able to show them that for $8 million they could take that $45 million of exposure off the books," Madhu said.
