Organized by the China computer federation and the local government of Shenyang, the 2023 China national computer congress kicked off in the northeastern city of Shenyang Tuesday. Our reporter Guan Yang was there.

GUAN YANG Shenyang, Liaoning Province "The 2023 China National Computer Congress is expected to attract over 10,000 attendees this year here in Shenyang. The congress has included more than 30 technical forums covering various fields such as artificial intelligence, security, and software engineering."

As a resource-rich region known for its heavy industries, China's northeast 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.

YANG JINZHU Deputy Dean, College of Computer Science and Engineering Northeastern University "Revitalizing the northeast 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."

GUAN YANG Shenyang, Liaoning Province "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. Take quantum computing as an example. It is a kind of computing that lets high-powered machines solve problems that are too difficult for normal computers. According to China's 14th Five-Year Plan, it aims to push quantum technology in many fields.

"It is worth noting that, this month, the U.S. Commerce Department updated and broadened its export controls to stop China from acquiring advanced computer chips and the equipment to manufacture them. China is determined to attain semiconductor self-sufficiency by exploring the possibilities of producing its own high-bandwidth memory chips. This endeavor, although challenging, is seen as crucial by the attendees here in Shenyang."

LI XIAOWEI Chief Supervisor, China Computer Federation "We can further boost the development of computer architecture for homegrown chips. 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."

GUAN YANG Shenyang, Liaoning Province "Founded in 1962, the China Computer Federation, as the leading organization on computing technology and applications in China, has more than 100,000 members. It runs independently with no funding from the central government. GUAN YANG, CGTN."