Organized by the China Computer Federation (CCF) and the local government, the 2023 China National Computer Congress (CNCC) kicked off in the northeastern city of Shenyang on Thursday.

The congress includes more than 30 technical forums covering various fields, including artificial intelligence (AI), security, and software engineering. This year, it has attracted over 10,000 attendees.

As a resource-rich region known for its heavy industries, China's northeast region has long been afflicted by industrial overcapacity, shrinking resources and the outflow of talent. In an effort to foster new growth engines, the region has vowed to promote innovation-based development, and the development of computer science is vital for these ambitions.

"Revitalizing the northeast region relies on technologies such as computer science, AI and big data, most importantly a talent pool of skilled computer engineers. This is why our college has heavily invested in educational resources in those fields," said Yang Jinzhu, deputy dean of the School of Computer Science and Engineering at Northeastern University.

First held 20 years ago, this year's event will also explore the latest trends in computer science, big data, cloud databases, and quantum computers. Quantum computing is a form of computing that uses high-powered machines to solve problems too complex for regular computers. The country's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) aims to advance quantum technology across multiple fields.

It is worth noting that the U.S. Commerce Department updated and broadened its export controls this month to prevent China from acquiring advanced computer chips and the equipment to manufacture them. China is determined to achieve semiconductor self-sufficiency by exploring the possibilities of producing its high-bandwidth memory chips.

Challenging as this endeavor may be, it is seen as crucial by the attendees in Shenyang.

"We can further boost the development of computer architecture for homegrown chips," Li Xiaowei, CCF chief supervisor, told CGTN in an exclusive interview. "For instance, some Chinese 7nm chips with an advanced architecture can match the performance of those foreign-made 5nm ones. So the solution is to build more advanced architecture to make up for the shortcomings in semiconductor manufacturing."

Founded in 1962, the CCF, as the leading organization on computing technology and applications in China, has more than 100,000 members.