China is taking efforts to achieve self-reliance in computing technology, and will become a front-runner in the competition of the new generation of information technologies (IT) such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and mobile communication, according to Ni Guangnan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Ni, one of the most renowned Chinese scientists in the area, shared his views on the overall strength of China's computing industry from chips to software in an exclusive interview with CGTN on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 2019 World Computer Congress in central China's Changsha City, Hunan Province.
Ni Guangnan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, speaks to CGTN on September 11, 2019, in Changsha City, Hunan Province. /CGTN Photo
"Looking at the whole picture, China and the U.S. are the top two players when it comes to supercomputers, or high performance computers, and the situation will continue," said Ni.
"But China still lags behind in general-purpose computers," he added.
China's weakness in chip industry may take more than a decade to catch up
Ni noted the chip industry is China's weak link, adding that the gap in this arena is relatively big compared to that of developed countries.
"Although we are not bad in chip design, we still depend on foreign countries in chip manufacturing, relative equipment and material, and even chip designing tools," he said.
According to Ni, China's lag in the IC (integrated circuit) industry is not something that can be improved in the short term.
"If we work hard, it should take more than a decade," he noted.
VCG Photo
Gap in software could be bridged faster
But the expert held that China's gap in software might be narrowed faster, which might just take a few years, as long as there is enough talent.
He said unlike the chip industry, which takes quite a long period of time to cultivate a mature industrial chain, software is mainly about brain work and talent is the most crucial factor.
In the domestic software industry, a key issue is whether China can build a self-developed ecosystem (including operating systems and all kinds of applications) like that of Windows, the current dominant personal computer (PC) operating system in the world.
"It's not entirely about technological issues. An important thing is the popularization of the operating systems and applications. If China could strengthen the promotion of homegrown software, the gap in this respect might be bridged very fast," he said.
China's homegrown operating systems and applications on display during the 2019 World Computer Congress. /CGTN Photo
U.S. blockade may speed up China's self-reliance
In June, the United States blacklisted five high-tech Chinese companies and institutions in the supercomputer sector, following its ban on Chinese tech giant Huawei in May that prohibited U.S. companies from supplying components and software to it without licenses.
A similar restriction order on another Chinese telecom company ZTE last year almost crippled the firm.
When asked about how such moves could impact domestic companies and industries, Ni said it could be a good thing in the long run, though there are short-term difficulties for the blacklisted companies.
"It makes domestic companies realize that they can no longer just rely on buying critical technologies from others, but have to put in efforts in improving themselves," he pointed out.
Besides, "the Chinese market itself is huge," Ni added.
(Video edited by Ge Kai.)