Computing

• The US-China technology rivalry is increasingly centered on quantum computing, with both nations treating the field as a strategic asset with profound economic and national security implications alongside AI and semiconductors. • China has deployed an estimated US$16 billion in public funding—roughly four times current US government investment—embedding quantum computing into its Five-Year Plan as one of seven frontier technologies through a highly centralized, state-led approach. • The US ecosystem remains decentralized, driven by over 40 companies, national laboratories, universities, and hyperscalers, with government support focused on funding, benchmarking, and validation rather than selecting national champions.

• The United States hosts nearly 5,500 data centers and accounts for three-quarters of the world's computing power as of May 2025, providing a substantial advantage over China in the global AI race according to EpochAI research. • America's semiconductor superiority remains the primary AI advantage, with Nvidia chips significantly outperforming China's most powerful Huawei-produced chips in both processing power and bandwidth memory, and the performance gap will increase substantially in coming years. • ByteDance plans to invest $23 billion this year on AI infrastructure including chips, while US companies are coordinating with the White House to secure additional grid capacity for data centers to prevent consumer price hikes.

• Advantech, a global leader in IoT intelligent systems and embedded platforms, is demonstrating next-generation edge AI platforms powered by NVIDIA Jetson Thor and NVIDIA IGX Thor at GTC 2026 (March 16-19 in San Jose, California). • The company is highlighting real-world applications of physical AI across robotics, medical systems, smart logistics, and intelligent retail environments, including the USM-500 medical-grade platform optimized for AI-assisted surgery and intraoperative imaging. • Advantech's showcase reflects the industry's shift from cloud-based model training toward physical AI applications and edge deployment, enabling faster commercialization of AI technologies across industrial and healthcare sectors.

Liz Kendall announces £1bn funding to help design large-scale quantum computers for scientists, researchers, public sector and businessThe UK will not let quantum computing talent slip through its fingers and must learn lessons from US dominance of the AI race, the technology secretary has said, as the government announced a £1bn quantum funding pledge.Liz Kendall said the government hoped to retain homegrown quantum startups, engineers and researchers rather than lose them to competing countries, with the US stealing a march on its western rivals in AI. Continue reading...

The errors that quantum computers make are holding the technology back. But recent progress in quantum error correction has excited many researchers

ByteDance is assembling high-end NVIDIA chip-based computing outside China, partnering with Southeast Asian firms for black-white systems in Malaysia to fuel AI development, announced March 13, 2026. This circumvents U.S. export restrictions while advancing global AI capabilities. The initiative supports TikTok parent’s ambitions in generative models. It reflects escalating geopolitical tensions in AI hardware access.

ByteDance is assembling high-end Nvidia chip clusters outside China, partnering with Southeast Asian firms for black-white computing systems in Malaysia to fuel AI development, reported March 13, 2026. The Wall Street Journal detailed efforts to bypass US export restrictions. This expansion supports TikTok parent’s global AI ambitions amid geopolitical tensions. US regulators monitor for compliance.