Researchers of Chinese Origin Dominate the World's Top AI Talent

[Riaz Haq]

Recent launch of DeepSeek AI model has brought to light the large and growing AI talent in China. The researchers working for the Chinese startup have shown that human creativity and problem-solving skills can overcome limitations such as access to high-performance hardware. It confirms that the most important resource needed for breakthroughs in AI is the human resource. 

The people of Chinese PRC origin account for 47% of the top 20% AI talent in the world based on undergraduate degree, according to a survey.  Americans make up 18%, Europeans 12% and Indians 5% of the global AI researchers. In terms of the countries they serve, 57% of them work in the United States, 12% in China, 8% in the UK, 4% each in France and Germany and 3% in Canada as of 2022. While the US still has the lion's share of the top talent, its share has declined from 65% in 2019 to 57% in 2022. Marco Polo talent tracker lists Pakistan among a dozen countries for top AI talent in Asia. 

Top Global AI Talent. Marco Polo AI Talent Tracker

More than half (15 out 25) of the institutions (companies and universities) where the top AI researchers work are located in the United States, while 6 are in China. The remaining four are in the UK, Switzerland, Singapore and Canada, according to Marco Polo Global AI Talent Tracker. 

Top AI Talent in Asia Pacific. Source: Marco Polo

The Chinese from PRC dominate the Asia Pacific region with 81.9% of the top AI talent. Indians account for 8.2%, South Korea 4% and "others" 5.8%.  "Others” include Taiwan, Australia, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka. 

The fact that a number of large language models, including Chinese DeepSeek and Meta's Llama 3, are open source will help develop more global AI talent and spur greater innovation around the world. In the end, it is much more likely that the open source offerings will see greater success than the closed source models like OpenAI's.  

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[Riaz Haq]

China’s Quantum Leap: The 504-Qubit ‘Xiaohong’ Chip Changes Everything – Engineerine

https://engineerine.com/china-504-qubit-xiaohong-chip/

China has just shattered records in quantum computing with the launch of Tianyan-504, a superconducting quantum computer powered by the Xiaohong chip. With an unprecedented 504 qubits, this marks a major milestone in the global quantum race, putting China in direct competition with tech giants like IBM and Google.

Quantum computing is one of the most revolutionary advancements in technology, with the potential to solve complex problems exponentially faster than traditional computers. From AI to cryptography, medical research, and national security, this breakthrough is a game-changer.

How does Tianyan-504 compare to global competitors, and what does it mean for the future of computing? Let’s break it down.

The Tianyan-504 is China’s most powerful quantum computer to date, developed using superconducting quantum technology. It is powered by the Xiaohong chip, an advanced 504-qubit processor, making it one of the most powerful quantum machines in the world.


Key Features of Tianyan-504:
Record-Breaking 504 Qubits – China’s highest-qubit quantum processor to date.
Superconducting Quantum Technology – Uses extremely cold temperatures to minimize errors and improve qubit stability.
Cloud-Accessible – Available for remote use in 50+ countries via China Telecom.
Rivaling IBM and Google – Competing directly with IBM’s Eagle (433 qubits) and Google’s Sycamore (72 qubits).
With this cutting-edge technology, China has positioned itself as a dominant force in the global quantum race.

Unlike traditional computers that use binary bits (0s and 1s), quantum computers use qubits, which can exist in multiple states simultaneously due to superposition and entanglement. This allows quantum computers to perform massively parallel calculations, solving problems that classical computers would take thousands of years to process.

How the Xiaohong Chip Works:
Qubits Operate in Superposition – This allows them to perform multiple calculations at once.
Quantum Entanglement – Qubits communicate instantaneously, boosting computing efficiency.
Error Correction Mechanisms – Advanced superconducting circuits reduce quantum errors, making calculations more accurate.

Why Is This a Big Deal?
Key Implications of Tianyan-504:
AI and Machine Learning – Quantum computing could train AI models thousands of times faster, accelerating breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.
Cybersecurity and Cryptography – Quantum computers have the power to break traditional encryption, making current security protocols obsolete.
Drug Discovery and Healthcare – Quantum simulations could develop new medicines and treatments at an unprecedented pace.
Climate and Energy Solutions – Quantum algorithms can optimize energy grids, simulate climate models, and enhance battery technology.
National Security and Defense – Quantum advancements could give China an edge in intelligence, surveillance, and secure communications.
By leading in quantum computing, China is gaining a strategic advantage across multiple industries.

[Riaz Haq]

Top China chipmaker SMIC says tariff war sparking 'rush orders'

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tech/Semiconductors/Top-China-chip...

TAIPEI -- China's top chipmaker says clients are stockpiling inventory and asking to move up delivery of orders scheduled for later in the year due to concerns over U.S. tariffs and broader geopolitical tensions.

Zhao Haijun, co-CEO of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., told investors and reporters on Wednesday that his company has seen a rush in orders in the first two quarters of 2025.

"We see many [customers] want to ship the products to their export destinations as soon as possible, so they are building up inventories for the second half or even the full year. ... They are hoping to prepare as many parts for their products in advance as soon as possible," Zhao said. "Currently the ocean shipping is very crowded to fulfill all these rush orders as well. ... But we don't know how long this could last, given the dynamics of global uncertainties."

U.S. President Donald Trump has started a broad tariff war against China and other nations, including imposing an additional 10% blanket tariff on Chinese imports.

Zhao said a rapid acceleration of local chip production has raised SMIC's revenue to a record level, but warned of a price war and tariff uncertainties in the second half of 2025.

Efforts to boost local production in critical areas, including automotive applications, are bearing fruit, with some chip products now being produced in large volumes.

China has instructed domestic carmakers, including BYD, to use up to 25% locally made automotive chips to boost local self-sufficiency, Nikkei Asia reported earlier.

The industry reoriented toward the domestic supply chain at "a relatively rapid pace," Zhao said. "Our Chinese customers' market share expanded, and revenue from these customers grew 34%, year over year."

Beijing's economic stimulus measures have also encouraged clients to restock chips used in products like smartphones, notebooks, electric vehicles and bicycles, he said. "Our 8-inch wafer capacity is running at full utilization, beating the traditional seasonality for the first quarter."

"However, we are worried that the rush orders for the first half of this year would result in soft demand in the second half, when many peers will have new capacity go online at the same time," Zhao said. "That means there might be intensified price competition to fight for orders later in the year. ... The trend for the price is unclear for the second half, but it will not go up."

SMIC estimates its 2025 annual revenue will grow 6% to 8%, higher than the industry average in the same markets.

It plans capital investment in 2025 on a similar level as last year's $7.3 billion, much higher than its foreign contract chipmaking peers, such as United Microelectronics Corp.

SMIC's revenue for the last quarter of 2024 rose 31.5% to $2.2 billion, with operating profit nearly doubling from a year earlier. However, its net profit declined 38.4% to $108 million compared with the same period the previous year. The chipmaker attributed this to higher expenses from the startup of new plants.

Its full-year revenue for 2024 was $8.03 billion, up 27% from 2023, with net profit down 45%.

American rival Globalfoundries reported a net loss on Wednesday for the quarter ended Dec. 31. Its full-year revenue came to $6.75 billion, with a net loss of $262 million.

Nearly 90% of SMIC's revenue from the last quarter of 2024 came from China. The figure for the full year was 85%.

[Riaz Haq]

China’s Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough

In January 2025, China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) nuclear fusion reactor set a new world record by sustaining a plasma at 100 million° C for 1,066 seconds. This breakthrough is a major step toward the goal of generating clean, limitless energy.
Explanation What is EAST.
EAST is also known as China's "artificial sun". It's a tokamak reactor that uses extreme heat and pressure to create nuclear fusion. What's the significance of this breakthrough.
This breakthrough is a major step toward practical fusion reactors that could power cities without pollution or radioactive waste.
What are the benefits of fusion energy?
Fusion energy has a zero emission footprint and produces far greater amounts of energy than any other source.
Other details
China invests nearly double the U.S. in fusion research.
China has ambitious plans for fusion power plants to provide clean, limitless energy.
The Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology (CRAFT) is under construction in Hefei, China and is scheduled for completion in 2025.
You can also watch this video to learn more about China's nuclear fusion breakthrough:


https://youtu.be/g-PLekYOv20

[Riaz Haq]

New Forms Of Higher Education For Building Pakistan’s Future

ByBryan Penprase, Contributor. Bryan Penprase covers global innovations in

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanpenprase/2025/02/18/new-forms-of-...

Pakistan’s future economy will be built through higher education. Pakistan’s economy has been traditionally rooted in agriculture and textiles but is expanding its presence in construction, renewable energy, and IT and its higher education system can provide more opportunities for a young and growing population. The nation’s future economy will be based on technology growth and in manufacturing, mining, and renewable energy. Already, Pakistan has produced many startup companies, such as NayaPay, a fintech payment processing platform founded in 2016, and DealCart, an online grocery store founded in 2022. Both were listed in the Forbes Asia 100 To Watch list in 2024, and new investments from China, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and the US promise to further develop Pakistan’s tech sector.

Pakistan’s meteoric population growth provides unique challenges. In just the past twenty years, its population has grown from 141 million to over 250 million, making Pakistan the fifth most populous country in the world. The median age is estimated at 19 years in 2023, and two thirds of its population is under 30, giving the country the third largest college-age population in the world, surpassed only by China and India. Keeping the most talented, young population within the country is vital for developing its future, yet in 2022 alone, over 760,000 Pakistanis emigrated, including 92,000 highly educated doctors, engineers and other tech professionals.

Pakistan’s Future Depends on Higher Education
To develop and retain its most talented young people, Pakistan urgently needs to expand and upgrade its higher education system. Higher education in Pakistan began with the University of the Punjab, founded in Lahore in 1882 under British Colonial rule. Another early institution, Lahore Mission College, was founded in 1864 and renamed Forman Christian College (FCC) in 1894. Additional public universities were developed after 1947, notably the prestigious Quaid-i-Azam University, founded in 1967 to offer postgraduate programs, and the Allam Igbal Open University, Pakistan’s largest university with over 1 million students, founded in 1974.

By the early 1980’s Pakistan allowed new private universities, enabling the founding of Aga Khan University (AKU) in 1983, with a focus on health sciences, and the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in 1985. Prominent public universities were also formed recently, such as the top-ranked National University of Science and Technology (NUST), formed in 1991. By 2024, Pakistan had over 240 colleges and universities, enrolling over 3 million students, representing only 11 percent of Pakistan’s college-aged population. While Pakistan’s system lacks capacity to fully serve its large population, many innovative universities including AKU, LUMS, FCC, as well as Habib University are retaining some of Pakistan’s best students to shape Pakistan’s future.

Aga Khan University (AKU) and Medical Education
AKU began as Pakistan’s first private university and hosts the country’s the top-ranked Medical College. With branch campuses opened in 2000 in East Africa, Afghanistan and the UK, AKU has since expanded across Africa to Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Despite being small and selective, with under 2000 students, AKU provides affordable health care to over 2 million patients in six countries. The institution is committed to empowering women, who comprise nearly half of its faculty and 60% of its students. AKU also has major programs in teacher education and educational leadership, with Institutes for Educational Development based in Pakistan and East Africa.

Other major universities: LUMS, FCC, Habib,