China Doubles Its Scientific AI Power in Two Months, Sans U.S. Chips

China has rapidly expanded its largest artificial intelligence (AI) computing system for scientific research. The facility doubled its number of domestically produced AI accelerator chips in just two months. The newly added chips, called AI acceleration cards, began operation on Tuesday. They are housed at the national supercomputing center in Zhengzhou. State broadcaster CCTV reported the expansion. The accelerator cards were made by Sugon, a supercomputer developer linked to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This project is a core part of China's national supercomputing network. It is designed to boost research in fields like medicine, weather forecasting, and new materials. The upgrade demonstrates China's push to advance its high-tech capabilities using homegrown hardware. AI accelerators are specialized chips that speed up complex calculations for AI tasks.