News Summaries

China Fast-Tracks 6G and Satellite Internet: A New Era of Ultra‑Fast, Everywhere Connectivity

China’s next‑generation communication network is moving from a simple data pipe to a powerhouse that will reshape daily life and industry. By the end of April, the country boasted 1.84 billion mobile users—1.26 billion on 5G—plus 253 million gigabit‑speed broadband homes and nearly 3 billion IoT devices. 5G‑A now reaches over 330 cities, while 6G research, standards, and the first trial phase are already complete. Pilot projects are rolling out 10‑Gbps optical links, 400 Gbps ultra‑high‑speed fibers, and dense satellite constellations for remote‑area internet. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has green‑lit commercial satellite‑IoT trials and launched a 6G innovation pilot that aims to deliver home‑grown 6G solutions by 2029. Future 6G promises millisecond‑level latency, merging communication, sensing, computing and AI into a single fabric. Imagine holographic video calls that place a 3‑D digital twin of a loved one in your living room, or fleets of intelligent robots coordinating in real time on factory floors, slashing costs and boosting output. Already, 5G and gigabit optics have been embedded in 91 of 97 economic sectors, spawning over 25,000 "5G + Industrial Internet" projects and 1,260 specialized 5G factories that have lifted product quality by 20 % and cut operating costs by 18 %. The new "air‑space‑sea" network is set to become the backbone of AI training, high‑performance computing, and the next wave of digital services, driving a comprehensive upgrade of China’s economy and society.

New Quantum Trick Could Power Gadgets Without Batteries

Researchers at Queensland University of Technology have uncovered a surprising quantum effect that could change the way we power everyday electronics. By studying tiny flaws and the natural vibrations of atoms inside a special material, the team learned how to coax the material into converting stray alternating electrical signals from the environment directly into the steady current that devices need. In simple terms, the material acts like a built‑in charger that harvests energy from ambient sources—such as radio waves, light flickers, or even temperature‑driven fluctuations—without the need for a conventional battery. Even more intriguing, the direction of the generated current can flip when the temperature changes, giving engineers a handy knob to fine‑tune performance. This discovery opens the door to slimmer, faster gadgets that run on energy harvested from their surroundings, potentially reducing reliance on disposable batteries and cutting electronic waste. While the research is still in early stages, the principle could soon be applied to everything from smartphones and wearables to remote sensors, ushering in a new era of self‑sustaining, energy‑efficient technology.

China Fast‑Tracks a “Space‑Air‑Sea” 6G Network – From Gigabit Villages to Holographic Calls

China has finished building the world’s biggest, most advanced communications backbone. Today every county can tap gigabit‑speed internet, every town has 5G coverage, and even the most remote villages enjoy broadband. By the end of April the country counted 1.838 billion mobile users – 1.262 billion of them on 5G – plus 253 million fixed‑line gigabit connections, nearly 3 billion Internet‑of‑Things devices, and 410 million internet‑TV users. The next step is 6G. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has launched a pilot program that aims to deliver a suite of home‑grown 6G technologies by 2029, along with new business models and a wave of smart devices. Early trials have already proved the first phase of 6G, and ultra‑fast 10‑gigabit optical links and 400 G fiber systems are being rolled out. Satellite internet is also expanding, linking remote oceans, deserts and even underwater sites where ground towers can’t reach. What does this mean for everyday life? Imagine holographic video calls where friends appear as 3‑D avatars in the same room, or factories run by collaborative robots that talk to cloud‑based “brains” with millisecond‑level latency. Experts say 6G will fuse communication, sensing, computing and AI into a single fabric, unlocking new experiences from immersive entertainment to flexible, robot‑driven production lines. The vision is a fully connected world that empowers people, industry and the environment alike.

Breakthrough Quantum Trick Could Power Gadgets Without Batteries

Researchers at Queensland University of Technology have uncovered a surprising quantum trick that could let everyday electronics run without traditional batteries. By studying tiny imperfections and the natural jiggle of atoms inside a specially engineered material, the team learned how to capture stray alternating electrical signals that surround us—like the hum of power lines or radio waves—and instantly turn them into the steady direct current that phones, sensors and wearables need. What makes this discovery especially exciting is that the material’s response flips direction when the temperature changes, giving engineers a simple knob to fine‑tune how much power is harvested. In practical terms, future devices could be slimmer, last longer and never need a battery swap or recharge. Imagine a smartwatch that draws energy from the room’s ambient fields, or remote environmental sensors that stay alive for years without maintenance. The finding opens a new pathway for ultra‑efficient, low‑power technology, and the researchers are now working to integrate the effect into real‑world circuits. If successful, this quantum‑based power‑harvesting could reshape how we design and use electronic gadgets, making them greener and more convenient for everyone.

Young Chinese Scientists Light Up Quantum Computing with Record‑Breaking ‘Jiuzhang 4’

China’s next‑generation quantum computer, dubbed Jiuzhang 4, has set a new world record by manipulating and detecting 3,050 photons—far outpacing the fastest classical supercomputer on the Gaussian boson‑sampling task. The breakthrough, reported in Nature on May 13, was achieved by a team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) led by Professor Lu Chaoyang, who was honored with the Fourth National Innovation Dasheng Award on June 1. What makes Jiuzhang 4 special is its “space‑time mixed encoding” architecture, which adds a temporal dimension to the traditional spatial layout, dramatically reducing photon loss and boosting efficiency. The prototype integrates 1,024 high‑quality squeezed‑light sources into 8,176 optical modes, reaching a system efficiency of 51 % and a light‑source efficiency of 92 %. The story is also about people. The core R&D team’s average age is in the early twenties, with members like Liu Hualiang and Gong Siqiu rising from lab rookies to first‑author leaders within a decade. Their dedication, countless brainstorming sessions, and a night‑time walk that sparked the key insight illustrate how youthful curiosity is driving China’s quantum leap. Jiuzhang 4 not only pushes the frontier of optical quantum computing but also showcases a new generation of scientists turning abstract quantum theory into tangible, world‑changing technology.

Global Green Power Leaders Gather in Birmingham for Breakthrough MI Innovation Conference

The Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences teamed up with the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the University of Birmingham, and Italy’s Energy Systems Research Institute to host the 2026 MI Green Power Innovation Conference Series in Birmingham, UK. More than 50 top scientists, engineers, and policy makers from China, the United Kingdom, Italy and other countries converged to discuss the future of clean electricity. Attendees explored how next‑generation power systems can deliver reliable, low‑carbon energy while supporting the world’s net‑zero goals. The event highlighted joint research projects, shared data platforms, and new standards for integrating renewable sources into national grids. Participants praised the conference for sparking fresh ideas, deepening cross‑border collaborations, and accelerating the rollout of advanced green‑power technologies. Organizers said the seminar marks a pivotal step toward building a global community of innovators dedicated to high‑quality, sustainable power solutions. The gathering also showcased recent breakthroughs from the Institute, including advances in plasma‑coupled electrocatalytic ammonia synthesis and fast‑charging black‑phosphorus batteries, underscoring the rapid pace of research that will power the clean‑energy transition.