Latest news with #Wuhan-based
The Star
29-04-2025
- The Star
China's military rapidly expands use of low-cost AI-powered drones in ‘phased leap'
China's military is rapidly deploying cutting-edge AI-powered drones that are low-cost and agile on the battlefield, as it races to gain an edge in the modern warfare technology. One of the latest – a micro drone that looks like a thermal flask and weighs less than a kilogram – was featured on state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday. The micro drone is the first of its kind and is designed for use across the People's Liberation Army infantry units, according to the report. It said the drone's coaxial dual-rotor system provided superior lift compared with traditional quadcopters, 'allowing it to carry up to twice its own weight – the highest known payload ratio among drones globally'. The drone also has foldable rotors and modular payload bays and can support both reconnaissance and attack missions, according to the report. It operates silently, can transmit real-time battlefield intelligence and can carry up to three grenades. An on-board neural processing unit enables AI-powered targeting, allowing one operator to manage multiple drones simultaneously. The micro drone is part of what the military's official newspaper PLA Daily on Tuesday described as a 'phased leap' in unmanned combat team technology – from expanding its use, to deep integration within operations that will eventually become autonomous. The report said the transition would be 'vital for defining future battlefield rules and gaining an early edge in intelligent warfare'. The CCTV report on Saturday said the micro drone could also be launched from a 35mm grenade launcher, reducing its take-off time and extending its strike range. A similar drone – the CH-817 made by state-owned Aerospace CH UAV – was shown at the 2021 Zhuhai air show, its compact system optimised for guerilla and urban warfare. Another CCTV report earlier this month highlighted first-person view, or FPV, drones guided by fibre-optic cables, which are being used by a PLA brigade under the 71st Group Army. Often modified from commercial models, these drones mimic the battlefield tactics seen in Ukraine, where their resistance to jamming and precise manoeuvrability make them ideal loitering munitions. Russia's fibre drones now strike up to 25km away, while Ukraine's reach 41km, notably with its Flagbearer-10 model. Private Chinese firms have followed suit – Wuhan-based Skywalker Technology has released commercial fibre kits that integrate with consumer drones and support ranges up to 50km. China is poised to lead in this sector – it produced more than 350 million core-kilometres of fibre in 2023, which was 62.5% of global output, according to the latest industry figures. The CCTV report also addressed the question of durability of long-range fibre cables. It said that – like wire-guided missiles and torpedoes – fibre spools would unwind from the drone during flight, minimising tension and avoiding breakage or entanglement, even during complex manoeuvres. It said grass-roots PLA units were building improvised grenade- and mortar-dropping drones based on earlier efforts such as the Blowfish A2, a high-speed drone developed by Zhuhai Ziyan UAV that can launch eight airburst mortar rounds. Lighter, handmade variants are now favoured for rapid frontline deployment, CCTV reported. One tactic not in use by the PLA but prominent in Ukraine is the drone deployment of anti-tank mines. Ukraine pioneered the use of modified TM-62 mines from heavy drones, with Russia soon following. These devices carry the explosive power of two 155mm artillery shells. China already has similar mines and widespread access to agricultural drones that could be militarised. If adopted, such systems would bolster frontline units with mobile firepower in the absence of artillery or air support. Amid surging interest in battlefield drones, Chinese universities and institutes have reported significant progress in fibre-optic drone communication. One example is the SKP-880FM, co-developed by Wang Hongyu and his research team at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Jiaxing-based Xuntian Optoelectronics. The drone successfully completed test flights earlier this year and uses fibre-optic communication to transmit control signals and data, greatly improving signal stability and operational security. Wang's team claimed that 'its resistance to electromagnetic interference boosts survivability in complex battlefield environments and ensures smooth mission execution'. China's military – particularly units in the north and west of the country – has also been conducting defensive drills against drones, including testing camouflage with tanks and preparing for drone incursions across various terrain, according to multiple CCTV reports this year. One focus is countering the FPV drones guided by fibre-optic cables – one of the most lethal and widely used systems in the Ukraine-Russia battlefield. While these drones offer greater resilience against electronic warfare, their prevalence in conflict zones has forced militaries to rethink traditional armoured defence and deception tactics. The PLA Air Force and the Central Military Commission's Equipment Development Department have also been conducting trials to advance low-cost drone technologies in areas ranging from reconnaissance to logistics. Zhang Xiangbo, a Guangzhou-based AI consultant who observed the trials, said the fibre and wireless drones had both performed well. 'There's no single best option – only the best fit for specific scenarios,' Zhang said. 'Wireless drones excelled in agility and response time, while fibre-guided systems – dubbed 'hi-tech kites' – were unmatched in anti-jamming reliability.' He said future trials would likely focus on autonomous battlefield decision-making and deeper system integration. 'The PLA's emphasis on real-world application and cost-effective innovation is reshaping its procurement priorities,' he said. 'This could define its edge in the era of intelligent warfare.' – South China Morning Post
South China Morning Post
13-04-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Chinese scientist Li Haibo dies aged 41 amid concern over ‘insane' workload among academics
Leading Chinese materials scientist Li Haibo died suddenly at the age of 41 on Tuesday, according to media reports. Advertisement Li, a professor at Ningxia University who specialised in nano materials, electrochemistry and optoelectronic materials, was named among the top 2 per cent of global scientists in a list released by Stanford University in 2023. His research areas included improving lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery storage performance and seawater desalination by removing salt that exists in the form of ions. His area of expertise was nano materials, including carbon nanotubes and graphene, as well as electrochemistry, including energy storage systems called supercapacitors, and optoelectronic materials such as thin-film solar cell electrodes. Wuhan-based outlet Jiupai News reported that Li had died of a sudden illness , citing an academic at the university, who said it was unlikely there would be an obituary or memorial service. Advertisement
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Top Chinese memory chip maker YMTC makes another design breakthrough, defying US sanctions
Yangtze Memory Technologies Corporation (YMTC), China's leading flash memory chip manufacturer, has achieved a significant technological breakthrough despite US sanctions, amid Beijing's push for technological self-sufficiency, according to a report by TechInsights. YMTC has implemented its new Xtacking4.0 memory chip design in its highest-density 3D NAND chip, which was discovered in the commercial ZhiTai TiPro9000 solid-state storage device, according to a recent report from Canadian integrated circuit (IC) research firm TechInsights. The chip features a dual-deck structure - a lower deck with 150 gates and an upper deck with 144 gates - totalling 294 gates. It uses what is known as a hybrid-bonding technique to join two wafers together. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Following last year's release of Xtacking4.0 devices such as YMTC's 160-layer product, industry observers anticipated the company would incorporate this architecture into products with higher layer counts. This new design surpasses the sophistication of its predecessor, which had a total of 180 gates. While featuring a modified internal layout, its most notable achievement is storage density, with an industry-first capacity of over 20 gigabits per square millimetre. TechInsights estimates the design contains around 270 active memory layers. "The important takeaway is that China's YMTC has beaten the competition to market," said TechInsights senior analyst Jeongdong Choe, who wrote the report. "With the new Xtacking4.0 technology, YMTC appears to have found a way to overcome the current ban with this new chip." A 64-layer 3D NAND flash memory wafer from YMTC. Photo: alt=A 64-layer 3D NAND flash memory wafer from YMTC. Photo: YMTC has not publicly released details of the technological breakthrough. The company did not address the issue when asked for comment, saying only that it is "committed to driving global innovation to further propel the industry forward and meet the evolving needs of our customers and partners". Washington blacklisted YMTC two years ago by putting it on the so-called Entity List. The sanctions cut the company off from leading semiconductor equipment makers such as Lam Research, which can no longer service its machines that YMTC has relied on for high-production yields. The Wuhan-based chipmaker has since increased its reliance on domestic chip tool makers such as Naura Technology Group. In modern 3D NAND structures, multiple active layers are stacked vertically with gate structures to create high-density storage. The quality and composition of these active layers significantly impact the overall performance and durability of the memory device. "YMTC is the leader in hybrid bonding technology, which is essential for higher-layered 3D NAND," Choe said in response to an emailed inquiry. "That's why Samsung and other NAND companies follow and prepare the hybrid bonding structure for the next generations." Thanks to YMTC's mature hybrid bonding technology, they may be able to add even more layers, Choe added. YMTC is closely watched by global competitors such as South Korea's Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, who still lead the global memory market. SK Hynix, which supplies more than 50 per cent of advanced high-bandwidth memory chips to artificial intelligence chip manufacturers, is on track to mass-produce the industry's highest 321-layer 4D NAND chip in the first half of this year, according to a company statement in November. Global market competition in NAND flash memory is expected to intensify this year due to weak demand and oversupply worsened by aggressive production expansion by Chinese suppliers driven by domestic substitution policies. In response, Samsung, SK Hynix, and US-based Micron Technology plan to cut production by lowering utilisation rates and delaying process upgrades, according to a report by Taiwanese IC research firm TrendForce. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
